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Youth & Education Empowerment Internship in Kenya

Since Kenya instated Universal Primary Education, enrollment has drastically increased. Unfortunately, many classrooms now have 200 students in one room with one teacher. There is also a large discrepancy in the education received by girls and boys.

Since secondary schools in Kenya require fees for books and stationery, there is often a lack of educational opportunity for orphaned children. Although some financial aid exists for poor children, expenses remain an insurmountable hurdle for poor families who must already pay the opportunity cost of allowing their child to study rather than work. The result is that many children never receive secondary education and are therefore stuck in the poverty trap of basic labor.

As an intern with Foundation for Sustainable Development (FSD), you will interact with local teachers, volunteers, and administrators and begin to understand how education is approached in Kenya. You will be matched with community organizations providing educational programs to children, youth and/or adults, or at a school that needs help in strengthening their curriculum and school-based activities.

Program Highlights

Interns will work directly in education organizations and advance youth and education programs in Kakamega, Kenya.
You will have the opportunity to develop a truly sustainable project during your time in-country. Our site teams will help support your project development and give guidance as needed.
All interns have the opportunity to write a grant proposal through the FSD Grant Writing Competition (optional). For interns interested in a career in nonprofits, proposal writing is extremely helpful.
Our in-country site teams provide in-depth training on development topics and 24-hour support for anything you may need during your stay abroad.
Interns live with host families to foster community integration and cultural understanding.

When interns arrive in the field, FSD in-country teams will lead an orientation, providing each intern with invaluable guidance and insight that will help them throughout their program. Orientation is a blend of theoretical topics such as FSD’s asset-based community development model and community-based research and day-to-day details such as how to navigate the local transit system, safety, and security. Through the orientation process, interns are introduced to the people who will be their support network while they are in-country: FSD staff, their project supervisors, host organizations, host families, and other interns serving in the area.

FSD internships are designed and structured for university students and recent graduates. A strong emphasis is placed on experiential learning, meaning that interns are learning through the implementation of key phases of work in their internship. FSD site teams conduct training and reflection sessions to assist interns during their cultural integration and during their project planning and development work. We strive to ensure relationships of reciprocal benefit, meaning that both the community and intern benefits from the experience.