Business Development Internships

Good question. It might not be an obvious choice, as business internships are more likely to be associated with the for-profit sector. But doing a business internship with a nonprofit organization in Africa offers an opportunity that you might not get within larger companies; you’ll be a large part of a small team, and you’ll get to be a driving force behind large projects. You’ll get to work on a strategic level. The width and depth of your work experience as part of a small nonprofit team is incomparable to the typical corporate internship.

Plus, you get to do good. You’ll join a team that’s on a mission to drive change on a social, environmental, or animal welfare level. You’ll be part of a passionate group of people that love what they do, and create an impact in their area of focus. You’ll get to see tangible results – impactful results – of your work.

What’s not to love?

Oh, where to start? Sure, we’re biased, but South Africa is a fascinating, stunning, and inspiring country. On top of that, Cape Town – where most of our internships are based – is a hub of creativity and social entrepreneurship. It’s a city that’s home to a remarkable level of innovation, creative solutions to environmental and social problems, and small but fast-growing social businesses. This provides a wonderful and stimulating environment to learn about entrepreneurship and business development.

We offer business development and social entrepreneurship internships with a dozen different organizations; all small, grassroots initiatives driven by a nonprofit mission. Their focus areas include early childhood development, food security, inclusive and local products, ethical consumerism, sustainable land management, animal welfare, and environmental education.

We carefully match interns with the right organizations, because we believe it’s important that passions and working styles are aligned. So we’ll make sure you’ll join an initiative that you’re passionate about, and that will give you the inspiring and stimulating work experience you’re looking for.

If you’re ready to apply for a business development or social entrepreneurship internship in Africa, here’s what to do;

• If you know which internship you’d like to apply for, fill out the application form, and send your CV to info@rootsinterns.com. If you’re interested in various internships, or you’re sure which one would suit you best, just send us an email and we’ll help you figure it out.
• We’ll set up a short online interview to discuss your application, find out more about you and what you’re hoping to get out of the experience, and allow you to answer any questions you might have.
• We’ll then pass your application on to the person who would be your supervisor on the ground. If he/she thinks it might be a good match, there will be a second interview, which will go into more detail.