Project Support Intern/Volunteer: National Survivor Networks At Dr. Denis Mukwege Foundation

About Us

The Dr. Denis Mukwege Foundation is an international rights-based, survivor-centred organisation, dedicated to ending sexual violence as a weapon of war globally. The Mukwege Foundation supports survivors’ demands for a world where sexual violence as a weapon of war is no longer tolerated, and bears consequences for individual perpetrators and states. We work for a future where survivors receive the holistic care & compensation they need to rebuild their lives. We create opportunities for survivors to speak out and be heard, and where they can organise to create change, influence policies, and demand justice and accountability.

The Mukwege Foundation’s ‘Voice’ programme focuses on strengthening survivors’ agency to actively influence and participate in policy and practice concerning them at national and international levels.

At the global level, SEMA – the Global Network of Victims and Survivors to End Wartime Sexual Violence – offers a safe global platform for survivors to come together for solidarity, to share experiences and knowledge, to advocate powerfully for the abolition of the use of sexual violence as a tactic of war, and to lobby for the recognition of the rights of survivors to quality holistic care and to restorative justice. The global dimension is essential for peer-learning, bringing survivors from different generations and cultures together.

At the national level, the Mukwege Foundation supports the initiation, development, and strengthening of in-country survivor networks, creating safe spaces for peer-to-peer support and building survivors’ capacities to enable them to actively engage in advocating for their rights. The in-country networks vary according to their context and capacities, but in all cases these networks organise to raise awareness about the reality, causes and consequences of wartime rape in the respective countries, to combat stigma, impunity and harmful myths around CRSV, and to commemorate and recognise the many victims of these atrocities by creating a collective memory of survivors’ experiences.

For the national survivors’ networks, Mukwege Foundation is currently working in Uganda, South Sudan, Central African Republic, Iraq, Ukraine, Mali, Nigeria, and planning to expand the programming to Ethiopia, Nepal, Myanmar, and Burundi in 2023 and beyond.

Internship/volunteer role overview

The scope of this 6-months internship opportunity with the Mukwege Foundation is to support the three programme managers for national survivor networks with reporting, activity planning, and other project management tasks linked to national networks of survivors in the countries we operate.

Tasks:

The Project Support Intern/Volunteer will assist the programme managers with:

• Supporting national survivor networks with – as needed – survivor consultations, fundraising (grant-writing), monitoring and evaluation, reporting, preparing workshops and trainings, etc.;
• Conducting desk research to understand country contexts and assess opportunities;
• Logistics for activity implementation, including helping with planning field missions of programme managers;
• Managing relationships with the Mukwege Foundation’s local implementing partners (drafting contracts, reviewing reports, etc.);
• Donor reporting (narrative and financial);
• Drafting content for social media regarding national network projects.

With mutual agreement, other discrete tasks of a similar nature may also be assigned.

Profile of the candidate

Mandatory:

• The candidate must either be enrolled in or have graduated from a Master’s program in the field of International Affairs, Political Science, International Relations, Law, or other related field;
• Strong interest in the topic of armed conflict and conflict-related sexual violence;
• Strong organisational and communication skills;
• Perfect command of English, both oral and written;
• Proficient in Microsoft Office, including Excel and PowerPoint;
• Attentive to details, highly organised, and autonomous;
• Ability to prioritise and work under pressure;
• Hands-on attitude, proactive mindset;
• Commitment to women’s rights and a survivor-centred approach.

Desirable:

• Knowledge and experience using online conferencing platforms such as Zoom;
• Good understanding of written and spoken French and/or Arabic (any other languages will be considered an additional asset);
• Knowledge of social media platforms (Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter);
• Familiarity with the context of one or more of our project countries;
• Past experience in project management or community mobilisation (monitoring, budgeting, reporting to donors).

Conditions of the internship/volunteer opportunity

The internship/volunteering will be conducted under the following terms and conditions:

• The candidate undertakes this role on a volunteer basis or as an intern
• A small monthly allowance can be offered, based on Dutch law
• The candidate must be based in the Netherlands with occasional commute to the Foundation’s office in The Hague
• The candidate shall adhere to the code of conduct of the Mukwege Foundation
• The candidate shall sign and adhere to a non-disclosure agreement.