Summer 2023: Africa-Related Internships & Funding Opportunities

The Harvard Center for African Studies is pleased to share the following Africa-based in-person internship opportunities for continuing Harvard College students for Summer 2023. Browse the list of opportunities from CAS, other Harvard centers, and outside organizations below. Each program may have different application deadlines, so pay close attention to dates and application instructions noted on each individual program page. All of the opportunities posted below either come with funding or are eligible for CAS or OCS funding. Students should pay close attention to the application instructions and job descriptions to know whether positions automatically come with funding or if students must apply for funding in addtion to submitting the program application. Please double check the individual program pages for deadlines and information, as there may have been updates to the internship information that is not reflected on this page.

The Center for African Studies will follow Harvard's travel guidance when determining program availability and reviewing funding applications.  Please note that Harvard College students can only accept one funded summer experience each summer. For the latest information, see Harvard College’s Summer Funding Policy

Students are encouraged to search the Crimson Careers database to find additional Africa-related internship and job opportunities. The list below may not include all available opportunities. 

If you have any questions, please contact Lindsay Moats, CAS Student Support and Outreach Officer, at lmoats@fas.harvard.edu.

Please refer to the following  application deadlines: 
OCS Funding Application: March 9th, 2023
HGHI Internship Opportunities: February 5th, 2023
CAS Internship and Funding Opportunities: March 1st, 2023 
Office of Undergraduate Research & Fellowships: Varies (See website)
IOP Funding Application: TBA (Early April)

Internship & Funding Opportunities

Harvard Center for African Studies Funded Internship Programs

Art School Africa
Funding: Travel & Living Stipend
Application Deadline: March 1st, ,2023
Location: Cape Town, South Africa + Accra, Ghana
The Art School Africa Internship Program is a fully-funded, eight week summer opportunity that gives two Harvard College students the opportunity to live and work in Cape Town, South Africa for four weeks and Accra, Ghana for four weeks. For Summer 2023, two positions are available: (1) Research Assistant and (2) Community Engagement and Marketing Assistant...(learn more).

Maru-A-Pula Internship Program, Gaborone, Botswana
Funding: Travel & Living Stipend + Housing & Meals Provided
Application Deadline: March 1st, 2023
Location: Gaborone, Botswana 
The Maru-a-Pula Summer Program (MaP) is a fully-funded, eight-week summer opportunity to work and live at the Maru-a-Pula School in Gaborone, Botswana. One of Southern Africa’s top secondary schools, Maru-a-Pula collaborates with the Center for African Studies to engage Harvard students during the summer to share their experiences and expertise with students...(learn more).

Wellness Africa Foundation
Funding: Travel Stipend + Local Accomodation and Domestic Transportation
Application Deadline: March 1st, 2023
Location: Abeokuta, Ogun State, Nigeria 
Wellness Africa Foundation (WAF) is a non-governmental organization committed to Sustainable Development Goal 3 (Good Health and Well-being) and duly incorporated with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) of Nigeria in May 2019. The mission of WAF is to facilitate community health outreaches to the underserved, while also promoting Adolescents and Youth Reproductive Health (AYRH) services...(learn more).
 

Harvard Affiliated Funded Internships

Perinatal HIV Research Unit, Soweto, South Africa
Funding: Funded by HGHI
Application Deadline: February 5th, 2023
Location: Soweto, South Africa (TBD if In-Person or Remote)
Perinatal HIV Research Unit (PHRU) is one of Africa’s leading research centres, situated at the Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital—known locally as ‘Bara’—in Soweto, Johannesburg. PHRU is affiliated with the University of the Witwatersrand and engages in research, training, policy-formulation and advocacy concerning HIV-positive and -negative people and their children....(learn more)

The Touch Foundation, Mwanza, Tanzania (Coming Soon!)
Funding: Funded by HGHI
Application Deadline: February 5th, 2023
Location: Mwanza, Tanzania (Preference for In-Person, but flexible)
The Touch Foundation is a secular non-profit organization committed to improving the health of the Tanzanian people by strengthening their health system across the different levels of care, from tertiary hospital down to village-level facilities. We expand our impact across Tanzania by sharing our on-the-ground experience and acquired knowledge with the local and international public health community...(learn more)

Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT and Harvard
Funding: Funded by HGHI
Application Deadline: February 5th, 2023
Location: Durban, South Africa
The Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT and Harvard, through its International Research Office, is offering a nine week, fully funded summer internship program in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa for Harvard undergraduate students. Students will be mentored by MGH/Harvard/Ragon faculty members and gain skills working side-by-side with local South African and international investigators, graduate students and care providers. There are four positions available across three projects..(learn more)

University of Global Health Equity, Kigali, Rwanda
Funding: Funded by HGHI
Application Deadline: February 5th, 2023
Location: Rwanda
The University of Global Health Equity (UGHE) is a new university based in Rwanda that is training the next generation of global health professionals, including doctors, nurses, researchers, veterinarians, and public health and policy experts, to be leaders and changemakers who strive to deliver equitable, quality health services for all. An initiative of Partners In Health (PIH) led by internationally recognized faculty and staff from around the world, UGHE is an independent, accredited university that builds on PIH’s three decades of experience in delivering health services to some of the world’s poorest communities...(learn more).

Mbarara University of Science & Technology (MUST) & Massachusettes General Hospital, Mbara & Bugoye, Uganda (Coming Soon!)
Funding: Funded by HGHI
Location: Mbara & Bugoye, Uganda (In-Person)
Application Deadline: February 5th, 2023 
The Global Health Collaborative is a partnership between Mbarara University of Science & Technology (MUST), Massachusetts General Hospital, and other international academic institutions.  The Global Health Collaboration seeks to build bilateral institutional capacity through responsive and sustainable program implementation in research, education, technology innovation and clinical care in Uganda and the United States...(learn more).

Harvard Business School Global Research Centers Summer Internship, Johannesburg, South Africa
Funding: Funded by HBS (see program website for funding and application details)
Application Deadline: February 6th, 2023
Location: Johannesburg, South Africa (In-Person)
The HBS Africa Research Center Summer program is a funded eight-week program that provides Harvard college students the opportunity to gain practical experience at the HBS Africa Research Center in Johannesburg, South Africa. The HBS Africa Research Center, the newest of our research locations around the world, is an arm of Harvard Business School (HBS), and plays an important role in helping HBS to develop and strengthen relationships with sub-Saharan Africa business and academic leaders...(learn more).
Available positions: Only one position is availble. Click "learn more" above for the full job description and application instructions. 

CID Global Internship Program | Morocco Employment Lab, Rabat, Morocco
Funding: Funded by OCS
Application Deadline: January 27, 2023 
Location: Rabat, Morocco 
The Morocco Employment Lab seeks to create a culture of evidence-based policymaking through rigorous impact evaluations and capacity building in collaboration with a wide range of public and non-governmental organizations. The Lab is led by J-PAL and Evidence for Policy Design (EPoD) at the Harvard Kennedy School, and based at the Policy Center for the New South, a Moroccan think tank...(Learn more).

 

Independent Internships (See "Funding" Instructions Below)

Club Tiossane, Senegal
Funding: Students may be eligible to apply for CAS or OCS funding
Application Deadline: February 15th, 2023 (Internship) + Funding deadlines for CAS or OCS (see above)
Location: Dakar, Senegal
Founded in 2019 by Harvard grad Edward de Fouchier and his childhood friend Adam Thiam Cox, Club Tiossane has built the physical, human and digital infrastructure to connect agri-food producers and the market in Senegal. The company is looking for a Data Scientist to join their team for an 8 week summer internship...(learn more)

ProjeKt Inspire, Tanzania
Funding: Students may be eligible to apply for CAS or OCS funding
Application Deadline: February 15th, 2023 (Internship) + Funding deadlines for CAS or OCS (see above)
Location: Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
ProjeKt Inspire is a local company that has been working with Tanzanian youth to create career awareness and lightening career paths specifically in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). We envision a generation of well-rounded African nurtured STEM professionals with an invaluable set of skills and knowledge for innovation and development of Africa....(learn more)

*Independent internships are not mananged through the Harvard Center for African Studies. Students should be prepared to organize their own travel and living arrangements and work directly with the host organization for all internship logistics. Students may be eligible to apply for CAS or OCS funding to support their travel and living expenses. Students should be sure to apply for the internship position early so that they have time to also apply for funding before the various Centers' funding deadlines. If funded by CAS, CAS will provide basic support services (Pre-departure guidance and orientation from CAS staff and in-country support through Harvard Global Support Services). Please contact Lindsay Moats at Lmoats@fas.harvard.edu with questions. All students travelling to Africa during Summer 2022 will be invited to attend the "Africa Summer Travel Mixer" in April to connect with other Harvard students travelling to the Continent.

 

 

 

 

 

Third Party Internship Providers

Cultural Agents | Pre-Texts: Creative arts, education, non-profit internships in Africa
Funding: Fully Funded
Application Deadline: February 1, 2023
This summer, Cultural Agents is offering an eight-week, funded internship program where students will be paired with a host organization, become trained as facilitators of Pre-Texts, and will then work with host organizations on projects related to the organization as well as the implementation of Pre-Texts…(learn more).
African Host Organizations: Shamiri Institute (Nairobi, Kenya), Tom Mboya University College (Homa Bay, Kenya), AHRC, Clowns Without Borders (Sierra Leone or South Africa), Play Africa (South Africa). You can view a full list of host organizations on the Pre-Texts website linked above.

diiVe: Summer 2023, Cape Town, South Africa
Funding: Eligible for OCS Funding (Note that their remote programming is NOT eligible for funding from OCS or CAS)
Application Deadline: See the diiVe website for the program application deadline. See above for OCS funding deadline. Students will need to apply for the program and funding separately. 
Location: Cape Town, South Africa (Remote or In-Person)
Consulting has consistently been at the forefront of business innovation and change, and now those in the industry are tackling challenges of our uncertain future. At diiVe, build your key consulting and business skills and learn how to leverage opportunity in a post-COVID era...(learn more).

*Third-party internship providers and the internships they help arrange are not vetted or endorsed by Harvard University. Students are responsible for researching these providers to ensure a proper fit for their interests and summer goals, and should ask providers to connect them with past participants about their experiences. Students must have internships confirmed by providing a support letter from the internship provider listing project start and end dates and location of host organization (city, country) before the funding application deadline.