USAID is the lead U.S. Government agency that works to end extreme global poverty and enable resilient, democratic societies to realize their potential.

U.S. foreign assistance has always had the twofold purpose of furthering America's interests while improving lives in the developing world. USAID carries out U.S. foreign policy by promoting broad-scale human progress at the same time it expands stable, free societies, creates markets and trade partners for the United States, and fosters good will abroad.

Position : Summer Intern

More than one position may be filled from this vacancy announcement. 

Internships with the USAID Africa Bureau
USAID's Africa Bureau expects to have a limited number of summer 2016 internships available in sub-Saharan Africa. This is an excellent opportunity for outstanding students interested in pursuing careers in international development.

In sub-Saharan Africa, USAID works to help build sustained and well-governed states that respond to the needs of their people, reduce widespread poverty, and conduct themselves responsibly in the international system. Our assistance to Africa aims to help African governments, institutions, and organizations advance good governance principles and innovative approaches to health, education, economic growth, agriculture, and the environment.

Students desiring internships in Francophone Africa must be proficient in French. Students desiring internships in Lusophone Africa must be proficient in Portuguese or Spanish. Flexibility, initiative, enthusiasm, good interpersonal skills and lots of energy are also desired. Computer skills are a necessity. Normally, the internship period is June - August, although this is negotiable. Selected students must be able to stay the duration of the internship as determined by the sponsoring mission. Final decisions on placement will be made in light of the candidate pool and USAID mission priorities at the time of candidate selection.

To support the USAID Africa Bureau's communication needs, all interns are encouraged to include an outreach component in their internship by taking digital photos and writing articles for their school or hometown newspapers. Alternatively, when students return to their schools, they are encouraged to seek out opportunities to present information to their school communities about their experiences in Africa and work with USAID. Photos and articles will be considered for inclusion in USAID outreach efforts and websites.

Possible locations for internships include but are not limited to: Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Congo (Democratic Republic), Côte d'Ivoire, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe.

Internships may not be available in all locations; preferences may not always be honored 

Please indicate a sub-regional (east, west or southern Africa) and/or country preference on your resume.

QUALIFICATIONS REQUIRED:

US citizens who have been accepted for enrollment, or who are enrolled in a qualifying education institution and carry at a minimum, a half-time course load as defined by the institution.

LEVEL OF EDUCATION
Undergraduate - junior or senior or Graduate level preferred

Desired areas of study are from a wide variety of fields including, but not limited to, general studies, international development, middle east studies, development, communications, program analysis, agriculture, environment, engineering, computer science, biology, chemistry, biochemistry, mathematics, economics, foreign languages, area studies, business administration, accounting, auditing, criminal investigations, human resources, international relations, finance, logistics, geography, agricultural economics, environmental economics, public health, sociology, social work, child focused studies, national security studies, military and foreign affairs, political science, public policy and public administration.

All education must be accredited by an institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications (particularly positions with a positive education requirement.) Therefore, applicants must report only attendance and/or degrees from accredited institutions. Applicants may verify accreditation at the following website: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/Search.aspx

Must be a student accepted for enrollment or enrolled in a qualifying educational institution.
Must have excellent written and verbal communication skills, and computer proficiency

To receive further consideration, you must submit ALL required supporting documents including statements of interest prior to the vacancy announcement closing.

Statements of Interest: Please ensure that the statements of interest are well written and free of spelling and grammatical errors. Feel free to include any academic or personal areas of interest, foreign languages, development experience, or other skill sets that make you a strong match for an internship in the Bureau of Africa.

Interns Are Responsible For

Obtaining a US passport with validity at least six (6) months beyond their proposed stay
Obtaining a Travel Visa as required by the country
Obtaining Overseas Medical insurance that will cover repatriation of remains and medical evacuation overseas
All travel expenses and all travel arrangements
Identifying their own housing

HOW YOU WILL BE EVALUATED:
You will be rated based on your qualifications for this position as evidenced by the education, experience and training you report relative to this position which shows that you possess the knowledge, skills and abilities required. Paid or unpaid experience will be considered.
To preview questions please click here.

DUTIES:

Interns will have the opportunity to contribute to USAID's work in Africa while learning valuable lessons about international development and working closely with our staff members. The work assigned to an intern in most office divisions includes research, writing program memoranda, drafting documents, facilitating meetings and special events, attending program discussions in the Agency and at the Department of State, and communicating on program issues for USAID field Missions abroad.

Candidates should possess a general knowledge about U.S. government agencies, excellent written and verbal communication skills, and computer proficiency

KEY REQUIREMENTS

Must be enrolled in a qualifying academic program
US Citizenship and must be at least 16 years old
In good academic standing
GPA - 2.0 & above undergraduate; 3.0 & above graduate
Able to obtain and maintain a security clearance (secret)
Males born after 12/31/59, must be registered with Selective Service

BENEFITS:Back to top You can review our benefits at: https://careerconnector.jobs.treas.gov/cc/usaid/vacancy/preview!benefits.hms?orgId=664&jnum=131708Unpaid Interns are ineligible for benefits; They are eligible for transit subsidy OTHER INFORMATION:NO PHONE CALLS PLEASE. Due to the large number of applications received, we are unable to respond to all of the applicants individually. Only those candidates under consideration will be contacted. Please send any questions to: AFR_Interns@usaid.gov. Emails will be returned within 3 business days. Moving expenses are not authorized. Relocation expenses are not authorized. Government paid housing is not available. EEO Policy: http://www.usajobs.gov/eeo Reasonable Accommodation Policy: http://www.usajobs.gov/raps Veterans' Information: http://www.usajobs.gov/vi Telework: www.telework.gov Selective Service Registration: http://www.sss.gov/. Entrance on duty is contingent upon completion of a pre-employment background investigation. Eligible applicants will be asked to submit forms required for a security clearance and suitability determination. For more information, please refer to: https://hru.gov/Studio_Recruitment/tools/Mythbuster_on_Federal_Hiring_Policies.pdf