Internship Programme at International Alert
International Alert was founded in 1986 to help people find peaceful solutions to conflict.
At that time, the number of conflicts between countries was decreasing, but there was an alarming increase in the number of conflicts within countries. These conflicts were undermining development and leading to gross violations of human rights. Identifying and highlighting individual abuses of human rights was not enough; a different approach was desperately needed. It was out of this urgency that International Alert was born.International Alert is an independent peacebuilding organisation working with people affected by conflict to build lasting peace. In Nigeria, International Alert works with communities, civil society organisations, government institutions, traditional and religious leaders, women, young people, media practitioners and other stakeholders to address the drivers of conflict, strengthen social cohesion, promote inclusive governance and support locally led approaches to peace and resilience.
As part of its commitment to developing the next generation of professionals in peacebuilding, development, communications and advocacy, International Alert provides opportunities for young Nigerian professionals to gain practical experience within an international peacebuilding organisation.
International Alert has recently concluded an internship programme that provided young professionals with opportunities to gain practical experience and exposure to programme implementation, research, communications, advocacy and organisational processes. The just-concluded programme featured interns from the Southwest, Southeast and South-South regions of Nigeria.
Building on the experience and lessons from the previous programme, International Alert is seeking to broaden the geographical representation of its internship programme by providing opportunities specifically for qualified applicants from the Northeast, Northwest and North-Central regions of Nigeria. This approach is intended to strengthen access to professional development opportunities for young people from regions where International Alert implements programmes and where there is a strong need for locally grounded expertise in peacebuilding, conflict prevention, development and communications.
The internship will provide successful candidates with practical experience in either Programmes or Communications and Advocacy, allowing them to work alongside experienced professionals, participate in project activities, contribute to organisational outputs and develop practical skills relevant to their career aspirations.
The internship programme will run for a period of six (6) months.
Purpose of the Internship Programme
The purpose of the internship programme is to provide qualified young Nigerian professionals with structured practical experience in an international peacebuilding organisation while enabling International Alert to benefit from their skills, perspectives and knowledge.
The programme will provide interns with opportunities to:
Gain practical experience in programme implementation, communications and advocacy;
Develop professional skills in a real-world organisational environment;
Gain exposure to peacebuilding, conflict prevention, social cohesion and development programming;
Participate in project activities and stakeholder engagements;
Strengthen their research, writing, documentation and analytical skills;
Develop practical experience in communications, media engagement and digital advocacy;
Understand how donor-funded programmes are designed, implemented, monitored and reported;
Build professional networks and experience relevant to future employment.
Internship Streams
International Alert will recruit interns under two streams:
Programmes Internship
Programme Interns will support International Alert’s programme teams in the planning, implementation, documentation, monitoring and coordination of peacebuilding and development projects.
Communications and Advocacy Internship
Communications and Advocacy Interns will support the Communications and Advocacy function in documenting and communicating International Alert’s work, engaging with media and stakeholders, and developing content for the organisation’s communication platforms.
Key Responsibilities
Programmes Intern
Support the planning and implementation of project activities, including trainings, workshops, community dialogues, meetings and consultations.
Assist with activity preparation and logistics, including agendas, participant lists, materials and coordination with project partners and stakeholders.
Support field-level project implementation and promote inclusive participation of community members and other stakeholders.
Assist with monitoring and data collection, including attendance records, feedback forms, assessments and other monitoring tools.
Support documentation and reporting, including activity reports, meeting minutes, field visit reports and periodic project updates.
Document project results, lessons learned, good practices and stories of change, and maintain organised programme files and records.
Support stakeholder engagement and follow-up, including coordination with communities, CSOs, government institutions and other project stakeholders.
Communications and Advocacy Intern
Support the development of content for International Alert’s website and social media platforms, including posts, captions, programme updates, human-interest stories and other communications materials.
Identify and document programme stories, achievements, case studies and stories of change for communications and advocacy purposes.
Support media engagement, including coordination with journalists, maintaining media contacts, monitoring relevant coverage and compiling media mentions.
Assist with digital communications, including social media content calendars, photography, activity documentation and tracking basic engagement analytics.
Conduct research and support advocacy, including preparation of advocacy briefs, talking points, presentations and monitoring of relevant policy and public discourse.
Participate in selected programme activities to document International Alert’s work and identify communications opportunities arising from project implementation.
Work closely with Programme and Communications teams to ensure programme evidence, achievements and impact are effectively documented and communicated.
Learning and Professional Development
The internship programme is designed to provide interns with meaningful practical experience and professional development through learning from experienced International Alert staff, participating in relevant meetings, learning sessions and field activities, gaining exposure to project management and programme processes, strengthening writing, reporting, research and analytical skills, developing experience in communications and stakeholder engagement, understanding conflict-sensitive programming and peacebuilding approaches, and building professional networks within the development and peacebuilding sector. Each intern will be assigned a supervisor who will provide guidance, support and periodic feedback throughout the internship
Expected Outputs
Depending on the internship stream, interns will contribute to outputs including:
Activity reports and meeting documentation;
Research and briefing notes;
Programme documentation and monitoring information;
Draft communications and advocacy materials;
Social media content;
Media monitoring reports;
Media and stakeholder databases;
Programme stories, case studies and stories of change;
Event and activity documentation;
Programme and communications presentations;
Other outputs relevant to the intern’s assigned responsibilities.
Eligibility and Minimum Requirements
Applicants must meet all of the following requirements:
Be a Nigerian citizen.
Have completed the mandatory one-year National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) programme and be able to provide evidence of completion.
Hold a minimum of a Bachelor’s degree from a recognised tertiary institution.
Be from, or have strong ties to, the Northeast, Northwest or North-Central region of Nigeria.
Demonstrate a strong interest in peacebuilding, conflict prevention, development, communications, advocacy or related fields.
Demonstrate good written and verbal communication skills.
Be proficient in basic Microsoft Office applications.
Demonstrate willingness to learn and work collaboratively.
Be available for the full six-month internship period.
Demonstrate professionalism, integrity and commitment to International Alert’s values.
Desired Competencies
Successful candidates should demonstrate:
Strong communication and interpersonal skills;
Good writing and editing abilities;
Research and analytical skills;
Attention to detail;
Good organisational and time-management skills;
Creativity and initiative;
Ability to work effectively in a team;
Willingness to learn and receive feedback;
Ability to work in a multicultural and multidisciplinary environment;
Professionalism and integrity;
Interest in peacebuilding and development;
Sensitivity to conflict-affected and fragile contexts.
For Communications and Advocacy Interns, knowledge of social media platforms, basic graphic design, photography, videography or digital storytelling will be an added advantage.
Duration and Location
The internship programme will run for six (6) months.
The internship will be based in Abuja. Interns may be required to undertake field travel in accordance with International Alert’s security procedures and operational requirements.
Safeguarding and Professional Conduct
International Alert is committed to safeguarding children and adults at risk and to ensuring that all staff, interns, consultants, partners and representatives maintain the highest standards of professional conduct.
All interns will be required to comply with International Alert’s:
Safeguarding policies;
Code of Conduct;
Prevention of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA) requirements;
Anti-fraud and anti-corruption policies;
Data protection and confidentiality requirements;
Security and safety procedures;
Conflict sensitivity and Do-No-Harm principles.
Interns must not independently represent International Alert externally, issue statements to the media, publish organisational information or post content on behalf of International Alert without appropriate authorisation.