Overall Objective
To contribute to nurturing and developing upcoming Human Rights Defenders.
FHRI runs an Internship Programme as an integral part of its human rights promotion agenda. The program is open to interns who have an interest in human rights work from national, regional and international universities and colleges. Over the years, FHRI has hosted over 200 interns from both national and international universities who have understudied organizational strategies while contributing to the realization of programme objectives.
At FHRI, we believe internships are beneficial to both the organisation and the interns in terms of experience gained and opportunities for development. Internship placements are opportunities that bring innovative ideas or introduce unique perspectives to the work of the organisation.
We therefore endeavour to make interning at FHRI a challenging, worthwhile, and enjoyable experience. We offer to the students an opportunity to gain direct exposure to human rights work at local and international levels. The internship complements law, human rights, social work, social sciences, development, and other international studies with practical experience in various aspects of democracy and human rights.
Whereas assignments to interns are dependent on the intern’s knowledge and skills, we attempt to match the interests of the intern with the needs of the organisation.
Specific objectives of the internship programme:
- To provide a framework within which students from diverse academic backgrounds may be assigned to FHRI projects, and in which their educational experience can be enhanced through practical work assignments;
- To expose interns to practical human rights work;
- To provide FHRI with the assistance of highly qualified students specialized in various professional fields;
- To encourage cross-cultural exchange, sharing of knowledge and information, and strengthening the observance of human rights.
Students undertake internships on a voluntary basis, and receive no monetary compensation. However, FHRI offers assistance in identifying and booking suitable accommodation for international interns on request and gives basic information about FHRI and Uganda.
Internships usually run for a period of three to six months, but may vary in length. The internship offers learning experience to students who intend to pursue a career in human rights. Their duration is also dependent on the availability of opportunities and academic requirements of the intern, as well as the needs of FHRI.
General Requirements for Interns
All students interested in working as interns at FHRI must:
- Be enrolled or recently graduated from a Graduate Programme in Law, Human Rights, Social Sciences, and Development oriented subjects in addition to other international programmes. (International students are expected to have already completed their bachelors’ degree).
- Have a strong command of the English Language.
- Be interested in further development of human rights in Uganda.
- Be willing to work three to five days a week from 8:30a.m to 5:30p.m.
- International students must be insured and obtain a valid visa. Interested students are advised to check with the Ugandan embassies and consulates in their countries for the visa requirements and the procedure before applying for internship.
- Act in a professional manner during the internship.