The Village Fellows Program in Rwanda

Deadline: 14 August 2015
Open to: applicants with fluency and proficiency in spoken English and minimum of 1 year full-time professional work experience
Fellowship: covers room and board, a monthly stipend, comprehensive medical and evacuation insurance, Rwandan Visa, and round-trip airfare to Rwanda

Description

The Agahozo-Shalom Youth Village (ASYV) is a residential community for teenage orphans in Rwanda and is home to over 500 teenagers and 100 staff. The Village is designed to care for, protect, and nurture Rwanda’s most vulnerable teens. In addition to an exemplary secondary education, ASYV offers enrichment programs in sports, arts, and culture and provides a healthy environment that helps the teenagers grow both emotionally and intellectually. The Village Fellows program places 8-10 international Fellows in Rwanda. Fellows spend 12 months living and working in the Village; they are placed into professional roles and work together with Rwandan staff to support existing programs and help develop new systems and programs. They become an integral part of the staff team that enables the Village to fulfill its goal of providing a nurturing home and exemplary formal and informal education to kids. In addition to their professional role, each Fellow joins a family and serves as a mentor to 16 teenage students who are in their first year of living in the Village. Fellows work hand-in-hand with Family Mothers and Counselors to create a loving and supportive family and home environment for the teens. Additionally, Fellows tutor English and teach many of the Enrichment Programs offered in the Village after school and during the evenings. Positions are available in the following areas. Applicants are matched with open positions based on interest, skills, and experience.

• Visitors & Hospitality;
• Communications, Journalism & Mass Media;
• English Language Enrichment;
• Information & Communications Technology (ICT);
• Advocacy & Partnership;
• Career Development;
• Art & Graphic Design;
• Informal Education Programming;
• Music & Recording Technology;
• Photography & Videography.

Eligibility

To be eligible for the program applicants should meet following requirements:

• University degree or of equivalent age;
• Minimum of 1 year full-time professional work experience, preferably 2+ years, in related field;
• Fluency and proficiency in spoken English;
• Excellent communication and organizational skills;
• Ability to balance various jobs and tasks;
• Ability to work independently with minimal supervision or guidance;
• Interest in working for a development project and collaborating with local and international staff;
• Ability to adapt to different cultures and work styles;
• Strong sense of responsibility and integrity;
• Flexibility, patience, resilience, determination, strong leadership;
• Ideological affinity with the goals and philosophy of the Agahozo- Shalom Youth Village;
• Willingness to devote 12-months to living and working in the Village, understanding that work days include evenings and weekends.

Fellowship

The Agahozo-Shalom Youth Village provides all Village Fellows with room and board, a monthly stipend, comprehensive medical and evacuation insurance, Rwandan Visa, and round-trip airfare to Rwanda. Fellows are responsible for all other costs not listed above (ie. passport, immunizations, etc.).

How to apply?

The deadline for applications is 14 August 2015. The application consists of 3 parts, all of which must be completed online:

• General Application;
• Essay Questions;
• Letters of Recommendation (completed by 3 references).

Eligible candidates go through a comprehensive screening and interview process.

For more information please check the official call.

The official webpage