SAUT is seeking WHE student interns that will be engaging with the student volunteers to increase awareness of the campus kitchen, health benefits of probiotic yogurt, and social enterprise. The main goal for the campus kitchen is to implement strategies to increase sales, keep students’ leaders actively engaged and expanding the yoghurt distribution network. Interns may also work with SAUT students to set up an awareness committee to continue the awareness campaign throughout the year, develop a plan for the undergo financial and organisational restructuring and work with SAUT admin and leaders to incorporate Yoghurt Kitchen Initiatives into Tourism and Hospitality Curriculum.

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EBLI is a registered non-governmental organization in Mwanza, Tanzania, which works to contribute to the reduction of teenage pregnancies and the rate of school dropouts. EBLI also contributes to economic empowerment for those who have dropped out of school to live a life free of coercion, discrimination, and gender-based violence (GBV). Interns will be collaborating with the organization by creating social media content (articles, videos, infographics, and other educational content) for Instagram and TikTok to raise awareness on issues important to young women including but not limited to contraception, sexually transmitted infections (STIs), and family planning, with a special interest on rise awareness and engagement to a young audience. The social media campaign will engage the general public, local schools, and other public institutions and organizations to position KuniSmart in Tanzania's competitive energy market. Students will also collaborate on health promotions, social enterprise and EBLI's operations that include a biomass charcoal facility that converts charcoal waste into bricks, which can be sold by young mothers.

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Mikono Yetu Center for Creativity and Innovation is a women-led, non-profit organization that seeks to empower women in Tanzania. Since 2005, Western Heads East has provided Mikono Yetu with student interns annually. Mikono Yetu seeks interns to collaborate on multiple projects. Interns will be assisting with the organizations’ current operations, proposal and business plan writing and promotional materials designing.

Interns will also collaborate with copywriting tasks by developing content for social media and websites, marketing strategies and blog writing related to MikonoYetu. MsichanaTai organization and Fiti probiotic yogurt. Students will be also assisting with external communications with newsletter writing.

Students will also assist the operations of the Msichana TV channel and a group of girls who aspire to become journalists. Interns will be asked to facilitate workshops on video/photo shooting, media stories/scripts writing, photography and camera use; as well as, write newsletter articles and social media postings about the Transformative Eagle Movement and the success stories of women and girls participating in MikonoYetu projects.

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University of Rwanda (UR) is establishing a Fiti Probiotic Research and Production Centre at the university. The Department of Human Nutrition and Dietetics at UR - College of Medicine and Health Sciences, has requested interns to work with the Fiti probiotic program in Kigali. Interns will work with UR to establish the kitchen on campus and create business management tools, marketing and education, and business planning. Interns will also collaborate with UR and local organizations to increase awareness of the Fiti Centre, the health benefits of probiotics, strength local partnerships and to conduct an education/awareness campaign on general nutrition. Interns will also assist the student leaders team on expanding the probiotic yogurt club, arise awareness of the program and develop educational workshops. Students will work on finding funding options and local women{s groups that wish to develop the social model enterprise in Kigali.

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The Aga Khan University (AKU) is committed to the development of human capacities through the discovery and dissemination of knowledge, and application through service. It seeks to prepare individuals for constructive and exemplary leadership roles, and shape public and private policies, through strength in research and excellence in education, all dedicated to providing meaningful contributions to society. The AKU and Western Heads East partnerships seek interns to work with two projects. The Project Management and Communications Intern will play a role in collaborating closely with project managers to developing cutting-edge curriculum frameworks and data analysis to shape new education offerings for the Aga Khan University’s Graduate School of Media and Communications. Their responsibilities will include create social media reports and engaging social media content through video, audio, and image editing; and support communications functions: developing branding, supporting social media strategy, and interfacing with partners to monitor and evaluate the programme.

The Climate Resilience Intern will contribute to the development and implementation of robust monitoring tools, surveys, dashboards, and GIS tools to support the effective monitoring and evaluation of Aga Khan Foundation programs in Nairobi. Their responsibilities will include assist in the design and implementation of surveys and data collection tools; collaborate with Aga Khan Foundation staff and partners to collect, analyze, and interpret data related to agriculture, forestry, and community programs; and participate in meetings, workshops, and field visits to gain practical exposure to AKF's program activities.

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Youth Opportunities Unlimited (YOU) is a non-profit organization whose mission supports youth to build skills, confidence, and independence to reach their potential. YOU have been a national leader in social enterprise since opening our first one in 1996. Now YOU operates four social enterprise businesses to offer on-the-job skills training to youth. YOU seeks interns to work with the organization by assisting with the implementation of the Fiti Yogurt program at YOU, implementing a small-scale business and marketing plan. Interns will also assist with developing a youth education plan about YOUgurt by FITI’s health benefits for future community outreach, so that the youth would be well-equipped to answer questions about nutritional benefits and importance. Students will support the development of a curriculum for youth to develop skills towards customer service excellence, have skills and tasks in line with what industry expectations and educational vocational learning outcomes would be identify a broader local market to sell the probiotic yogurt.

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JKUAT has requested interns to collaborate with colleagues and students at JKUAT to establish the JKUAT Fiti kitchen on campus, business management tools, marketing and education, and business planning. Interns will work with JKUAT to increase awareness of the Fiti Centre, the health benefits of probiotics, and to conduct an education/awareness campaign on general nutrition. Students will work on developing experiential learning opportunities, employment opportunities, and classroom learning opportunities for JKUAT students related to the Fiti kitchen. Students will also test new Fiti sachets for quality control and satisfactory consistency, and will work with the student leaders to make contact and map out existing and prospective Fiti community kitchens and evaluate successes and challenges with production and sales.

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Please note that all Western Heads East (WHE) internships require a minimum 90 day commitment. 

Read the Western Heads East Intern Commitments for information about the Western Heads East Internships. Please be sure you have reviewed the online application process on Atlas at Western International. This would be the starting place to get all of the details for the application.

Western Heads East highly recommends working with your faculty to arrange course credit for this experience. Your faculty's academic counselling office should be able to assist with determining course credit. Before approaching academic counselling, you should be able to describe your internship project, and relate the project to your academic program. It is best to meet in person rather than sending an email. Note that course credit is not required, but recommended to add to the learning during your internship.

Intern applicants can apply for Global Opportunities Awards and other scholarships and funding.

Research the available projects and destinations and decide the universities and projects with which you are most interested in collaborating. Consider language requirements, living costs, and course availability in your field. 

If you are unclear on the specific project, goals or research in which you wish to be engaged, arrange to meet with Maria Rodriguez, Western Heads East & International Internship Coordinator.

You can learn more about what the experience is like from past intern blogs . In addition, some past interns have made themselves available to answer questions you may have about the WHE internship experience.

1: What excites you the most about this international internship with our East African partners and the Western Heads East Program?

2: Describe the specific research or academic outcome (e.g. independent studies, case studies, thesis) that this internship will help you fulfill in your current program of studies at Western.

3: Outline how the outcomes of this research project or internship goals will benefit the local community.

4: Please list any extracurricular and volunteer activities that you have been involved in over the last two years.

5: What have you done to prepare yourself to live in a culture different than your own? How do you think you will cope with the differences? 

6: It is very important that you do research on the host organization/institution you would like to collaborate with before submitting an application. Western International must see evidence that your internship program of choice is appropriate for your academic program. Please discuss your academic reasons for selecting the placement that you did (first choice only).

7: Living overseas and being away from family and friends can be stressful. Please tell us about a stressful experience in your past and how you dealt with it.

8: How did you hear about the Western Heads East Program?

Applications for Western Heads East internships are completed through Atlas, Western's International Experience portal.   Search using the keyword filter and typing in "Western Heads East" to see all available positions. Please note: Students may submit only ONE application through the Atlas system for an international program for the upcoming year. Additional program options can be listed in the Program Selection session of the application. Please do not submit multiple applications.   Online Application 

It is recommended to obtain an academic advisor and arrange course credit for the internship experience. Some examples of common course credits interns receive are: experiential learning, directed reading, independent studies, guided research, etc. Important to note, if undergraduate students are interested in publishing about their work, early applications (November-December) are highly recommended to leave adequate time for ethics approval.

A  $55 application fee will be charged to your student account (there will be a box for you to check within the online application).

A  $165 Placement Fee - applies to all WHE internships due to the in-house coordination with East African partners on internship placements, objectives, preparation, support, and post-internship responsibilities. This fee is only applied after a student has accepted their internship placement offer.