Community Organization/Outreach Intern

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Community Partner:

ProHabitat works in the southern zone of Cochabamba, where many of the communities began as open land to which those from the countryside immigrated and built makeshift homes. With time, as unemployed farmers and miners searched for opportunities closer to the city of Cochabamba, these tiny communities grew. However, these communities had very poorly built homes with little to no infrastructure, no community services, no access to water and no electricity. ProHabitat works to organize people who live in these communities so that they are empowered with the skills to bring necessary services to their community, construct community centers (libraries and parks), and have the basic tools for living a dignified life.

Internship Description:

The Community Organization/Outreach Intern will work with Pro-Habitat to evaluate and assess how to better communication and organization in the communities that they work with. Activities could include community organizing, awareness campaigns, and realization of small-scale projects. The intern must be prepared to travel to rural areas on a regular basis. Many community meetings take place on weekends. The intern must be flexible with their schedule and willing to adjust it based on the organization's needs. Intern must be open to speaking with many people and have the ability to collaborate with a diverse set of personalities.

Qualifications:

• Student studying project management, leadership, or similar area of study
• Motivated to work in rural areas and among underserved populations
• Self-motivated, able to work independently and with little material resources
• Culturally respectful, wants to learn more than teach
• Curious, innovative, and quick learners
• Resilient, open-minded, and hard-working
• Creative and positive problem-solver, adaptable to challenging environments
• Genuinely interested in community development and integrating into the community
• Conversational Spanish for placements in Latin America

Schedule:

Interns will receive in-country orientation upon arrival facilitated by the FSD site team, which includes training in sustainable development principles, health and safety, cultural integration, and project management. After orientation, interns live with host-families and work full-time at the organization Monday-Friday. In the first week at the organization, the intern will gain an understanding of ongoing initiatives and conduct field visits to learn about the communities they serve. The supervisor and intern will collaborate to develop a workplan and budget that focuses on a specific youth/environmental project that addresses the long-term needs of the community. FSD will facilitate reflections and a midterm retreat, as well as provide project planning support and collect deliverables.

Internship program includes airport pick up, accommodation and meals, supervision, pre-departure training, on-site orientation and in-country support, medical/evacuation insurance, and project seed fund.