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If you’re wondering when to apply for nonprofit summer internships, there is no better time than now to get involved with our nonprofit partners. Here we’ve included opportunities that will transform your typical summer into an incredible journey where you can discover what it truly means to make a difference. From teaching, to agroforestry, to marketing internships, we’ve got you covered with the 9 most worthwhile learning experiences in Africa and remotely.

– Written by Kotomi Hasegawa, photo credits Anna Lusty

Browse all of our 2024 summer internship offerings

Best Nonprofit Summer Internships for 2024

Teaching Internship, Zambia

    • Location: Livingstone, Zambia
    • Length: 8-26 weeks
    • Prices: Starting from 2579 USD
    • Who you’ll work with: Free Haven Community Initiative– A NGO committed to eliminating poverty, starting with making education accessible for all.
    • What you’ll need:
      • Patient attitude while working with students
      • The ability to observe and adapt lessons to the needs of students
      • Experience in teaching is preferable
      • Minimum age of 21 (due to visa requirements)

True to its name, Free Haven is a nonprofit organization striving to give impoverished Zambian families the necessary support for an adequate standard of living. Though they tackle multiple aspects like sanitation and shelter, this internship specifically focuses on the education sector where you’ll help teach children with self-made learning resources and assist local teachers with their in-classroom teaching. Unlike other teaching internships, Free Haven directly involves you in big policies– for starters, you’ll get to suggest improvements to the current National Zambian Comprehensive Sexual Health Curriculum for upper schoolers. If you’ve got what it takes to join an ambitious team with equally ambitious goals, spend summer 2024 in Africa with Free Haven.

Highlights:

  • Conduct lessons and admin tasks
  • Suggest and draft school policies or curriculums

Learn more about our Teaching Internship

Apply for our Teaching Internship

Medical Writing Internship, Zimbabwe

  • Location: Harare, Zimbabwe
  • Length: 12-26 weeks
  • Prices: Starting from 1908 USD
  • Who you’ll work with: The nonprofit extension of the Charles River Medical Group.
  • What you’ll need:
    • Familiarity with medical concepts
    • Confidence in writing and research
    • The ability to embrace challenges

Want to play a part in a beneficial cause? Join Mutala Research, where clinical support is the main priority. Writing interns will help publish research projects and create grant proposals regarding research opportunities. The practical challenges of the medical research field will be an immense boost to your portfolio as you learn to navigate the industry. Come discover the humbling and robust experience of joining a startup organization and witness how your efforts can impact an essential field of study during this nonprofit summer internship.

Highlights:

  • Networking with medical professionals
  • Work experience directly relevant to clinical studies

Learn more about our Medical Writing Internship

Apply for our Medical Writing Internship

Women’s Support NGO, South Africa

  • Location: Cape Town, South Africa
  • Length: 3-6 months
  • Prices: Starting from 2949 USD
  • Who you’ll work with: A grassroots company focused on female empowerment and gender equality.
  • What you’ll need:
    • The maturity and empathy to work with vulnerable groups.
    • Belief in empowering young individuals and women

Perfect for those passionate about gender equality, MOSAIC is an organization that works to tackle violence against women. You’ll get to do a bit of everything, including: support female survivors of GBV, assist in education projects, and research for advocacy. Based on the values of respect and healing, MOSAIC attempts to rectify gender norms and provide empowerment to women chained in the patriarchy. Spend your nonprofit summer internship bringing lasting change into the world.

Highlights:

  • Understand South Africa’s gender context and work to educate on it
  • Offer meaningful support to victims

Learn more about our Women’s Support Internship

Apply for our Women’s Support Internship

Nonprofit summer internshipSustainable Tourism Marketing, Malawi

  • Location: Nkhata Bay, Malawi OR Remote
  • Length: 2-6 months
  • Prices: Starting from 1757 USD
  • Who you’ll work with: Butterfly Space – A nonprofit ecolodge integrating travel and doing good,, a true business champion.
  • What you’ll need:
    • Proficiency in digital softwares
    • Creativity and problem-solving for strategy planning
    • Willingness to work independently and take control of projects

Butterfly Space is an eco-friendly lodge located on the shores of Lake Malawi (which off the bat, outshines any regular office building) offering nonprofit summer internships to those curious about the ins and outs of community development. Not only that, it’s focused on the tourism sector in Malawi as well. The professional tasks are just as appealing as the location, be it SEO operations, brainstorming digital strategies, writing blogs or using Google Analytics. Learning how eco-friendliness and tourism go hand-in-hand is a must for environmental businesses, so don’t miss this unforgettable chance.

Highlights:

  • Option to work remotely- yep! It’s completely up to you to choose where to spend summer 2024
  • Explore the tourism industry in Malawi

Learn more about our Sustainable Tourism Marketing Internship

Apply for our Sustainable Tourism Marketing Internship

Agroforestry Research

  • Location: Remote
  • Length: Flexible with a minimum of 8 weeks
  • Prices: 525 USD
  • Who you’ll work with: OKO Forests, a promising nonprofit internship that protects agroforestry year-round, applying your summer contribution to future endeavors.
  • What you’ll need:
    • Discipline and initiative while working remotely
    • An interest in environmental management
    • Critical thinking and problem solving skills

Can’t travel this summer? We’ve got the perfect option for you. Make a difference in the forests of Ghana, all from the comfort of home. OKO Forests is a remote internship passionate about agroforestry conservation. Its collaboration with European universities in developing land management strategies and reforestation activities shows this is a serious project no environmentalist would want to miss out on. Topics like agriculture, climate change, and landscape planning are just a few of the possibilities that you can research. Discover the true meaning of environmental consciousness through this agroforestry summer internship.

Highlights:

  • International interns can discover Ghana remotely
  • Apply forestry management concepts in a real-world setting

Learn more about our Agroforestry Research Internship

Apply for our Agroforestry Research Internship

Grant Writing with Media Charity

  • Location: Remote
  • Length: Flexible but requires a minimum of 8 weeks
  • Prices: 525 USD
  • Who you’ll work with: Developing Radio Partners, a US-based organization operating media-focused projects.
  • What you’ll need:
    • The ability to learn quickly
    • Brilliant writing skills
    • A love for research and media communications

This is yet another remote internship, especially convenient for international interns. If you have a knack for writing and broadcasting, this one’s for you. By joining Developing Radio Partners, you’ll gain experience in grant research, writing, as well as with how to communicate to the public. Everything you do will be with intention, so you’ll be sure to train your storytelling and creative writing skills. These skills are invaluable to fields like journalism and reporting. Jump right into what sub-Saharan Africa has to offer here.

Highlights:

  • Become familiar with nonprofit internships’ fundraising opportunities
  • Understand how the media operates in a foreign country

Learn more about our Grant Writing with Media Charity Internship

Apply for our Grant Writing with Media Charity Internship

Nonprofit summer internshipNonprofit Communications & Marketing, South Africa

  • Location: Cape Town, South Africa
  • Length: 2-6 months
  • Prices: Starting from 1814 USD
  • Who you’ll work with: A nonprofit organization who finds wisdom embedded between the lines of book pages – The Bookery
  • What you’ll need:
    • Eager to interact and reach out to new people
    • Familiarity with computers and office software packages
    • Of course, ideally be an avid reader yourself!

Bookworms, look no further. Spend the summer in the libraries of South African schools getting lost in fairytales. This nonprofit’s mission is to make knowledge more accessible through library books for disadvantaged communities. You’ll step in as an intern to communicate with and sustain The Bookery’s established libraries. Through a marketing internship, interns will publish content online to expand the organization’s reach and develop their digital strategy. Combine your love of reading with this opportunity to see the ins and outs of a nonprofit changing the lives of young students.

Highlights:

  • Learn how to manage online presence and social media accounts
  • An environment directly related to the heart of your tasks– libraries!

Learn more about our Nonprofits Communications & Marketing Internship

Apply for our Nonprofits Communications & Marketing Internship

Humanitarian Photography

  • Location: South Africa or Zambia
  • Length: 2-4 weeks
  • Prices: Starting from 2150 USD and 2170 USD respectively
  • Who you’ll work with: Penda Trust (who has brilliant humanitarian photographers like Anna Lutsy) is an organization that does not exploit pictures for profit but instead, understands how dignity should be captured and protected in a single frame.
  • What you’ll need:
    • Values responsible and mature conduct
    • Deep connection with humanitarian issues
    • Your own DSLR or mirrorless camera

The most moving of pictures come from the rawest of moments. This beauty deserves capturing through the eyes of a lens and preservation for others to marvel at. Penda Trust’s mission is exactly that – to use photography as a tool in showcasing humanitarian work. The workshops offered are theoretical and practical, creating a masterclass for this style of photography. These images make a meaningful impact to the marketing and fundraising efforts of nonprofit organizations, so you see how your camera’s point of view is a needed window for the rest of the world.

Highlights:

  • A one-week introductory workshop to gain a solid foundation
  • Dive into an inspiration-rich atmosphere

Learn more about our Humanitarian Photography Internship

Apply for our Humanitarian Photography Internship

Got questions? No problem. Find the answers on our FAQ page.

At Roots, we believe all-year round, is the season for volunteering. Nonprofit internships summer 2024 are the latest to join this lineup of possible choices. We see the value in these nine worthwhile summer internships, but if you’re still looking, check out our other internships in Africa here. There’s definitely something for everyone. Make the most of your summer 2024 internship by applying now for an unforgettable experience in Africa!