Deadline:
As soon as possible
Location(s)
Algeria Angola Benin Botswana Burkina Faso Burundi Cameroon Cape Verde Central African Republic Chad Comoros Congo: Democratic Republic Congo: Republic Djibouti Egypt Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Ethiopia Gabon Gambia Ghana Guinea Guinea-Bissau Ivory Coast Kenya Lesotho Liberia Libya Madagascar Malawi Mali Mauritania Mauritius Morocco Mozambique Namibia Niger Nigeria Rwanda Sao Tome and Principe Senegal Seychelles Sierra Leone Somalia South Africa South Sudan Sudan Swaziland Tanzania Togo Tunisia Uganda Western Sahara Zambia Zimbabwe
Overview
Imagine, a young graduate dedicated to apply his/her skills and knowledge to working in their respective area of expertise outside his/her country for a period of one year. This translates to 2,160 hours of service to the community. Imagine hundreds of young Africans dedicating their time and skills to their continent. Imagine the impact an army of youth volunteers can create within a foreseeable time.
Details
AU-YVC devotes itself to producing a generation of African leaders, willing to serve their continent and its people, knowledgeable of African dynamics, and courageous to take charge and challenge themselves on a daring adventure of building themselves and their continent through service.
The African Union Youth Volunteers Corps (AU-YVC) is one of African Union’s initiatives for promoting youth participation, capacity building and empowerment through service and skills exchange, driven by the philosophy of Pan-Africanism and Youth Leadership.
AU-YVC promotes volunteerism to deepen the status of young people in Africa as key actors in Africa’s development targets and goals, enhancing their participation in policy development as well as design and implementation of relevant interventions towards the AU Agenda2063 – ‘The Africa We Want’. It brings people together to share skills, knowledge, creativity and learning to build a more integrated, prosperous and peaceful Continent driven by its citizens.
AU-YVC recruits and works with young professionals age 18-35 from across the Continent and the Diaspora, to serve for a period of 12 months in their respective fields of expertise in an AU Member States other than their own.
Priority areas of deployment of the AU-YVC include: education, youth entrepreneurship, agriculture, health (access to youth friendly health services), institutional capacity building, youth mainstreaming, information and communication, post conflict reconstruction and peace building.
AU-YVC Objectives
- Achieve the vision of the African Union of “An integrated, prosperous and peaceful Africa, driven by its own citizens and representing a dynamic force in global arena” through volunteerism and free movement of African youth;
- To contribute to Africa’s human development in line with AU’s Mission and Vision through effective youth participation in Africa’s Development process which includes youth as key beneficiaries;
- To actualize the emergence of empowered youth who will direct their energy and creativity towards their own growth and enrichment through pan African orientation and spirit of service;
- To initiate re-affirmation of Africa’s commitment to actualize the African Youth Charter as an instrument to make youth participation the critical value driver and architect for sustainable human development in Africa;
The Life of an AU Youth Volunteer
Deciding to become an AU-YV is a life changing decision opening opportunities to serve in a community other than your own and assisting in the local development efforts. Africa needs countless skilled labor each year in all fields and professional sectors. Youth Volunteerism has contributed significantly to the development of most advanced economies and contributes a substantively to annual GDP. In Africa, Youth Volunteerism would not only contribute directly to the development of the continent, but is also a means of direct and meaningful youth participation and empowerment.
As a volunteer, apart from applying your skills and knowledge to solve everyday challenges, you would gain crucial international work experience and acquire a great deal of leadership and soft skills, develop your self reliance and acquire new professional skills.
Most of all however, you would gain a life changing experience of learning a new culture, experience a new lifestyle, and get to know a new African country and its people outside your own. This experience would guaranteed shape your life and remain in your memory for the rest of your life.
Are you Ready for the Challenge?
Main Commitment
- Your duties and responsibilities would mainly be to serve the community, organization or institution where you will be deployed. This will be in relation with your field of study or past experience.
- At present the main areas of focus for AU-YVC are: Education; Health and HIV/ AIDS; Peace and Security; Information and Communications Technology; Business and Youth Entrepreneurship; Agriculture and Environment.
- During your deployment your overall objective shall remain to bring a lasting and sustainable impact and benefits to your host community/ organization and promote the spirit of volunteerism and values of service.
- This would require you to demonstrate leadership, discipline and dedication throughout your service and especially during challenging and difficult times.
Timeframe
Your deployment will be a minimum of 12 months and however shall not exceed 24 months.
Opportunity is About
Eligibility
Candidates should be from:
Description of Ideal Candidate
In order to be considered for this program, you must fulfill all of the following requirements:
- Citizen of AU Member State or African Diaspora;
- Aged between 18 and 33 years;
- Have at least a post-secondary education certified training and qualifications, from the equivalent of a Bachelor’s degree
- Available to dedicate 12 (twelve) months for volunteer work;
- Willing to live and work in another AU Member State;
- Be proficient in at least one official AU language (Arabic, English, French, Portuguese);
- Have at least one year verifiable experience as a volunteer and or one year of professional work experience
In Addition
You should be both mentally and physically in a condition that allows you to travel, live and serve in a new environment. Also, take into consideration that there may not be health services available in the area where you will be deployed like those you are used to in your home country, especially if you have special medical conditions.
You will also be required to acquire all the necessary travel documents and vaccination cards.
The Ideal Candidate
- Is change driven and has passion for Africa’s development;
- Embraces Pan-Africanist ideals of solidarity, peace and unity in diversity;
- Self-motivated and has interest in volunteer work;
- Appreciates and respects other languages, cultures, religious and social norms;
- Has great deal of leadership skills and can guide others;
- Remains productive under pressure and in challenging environments;
- Has a great deal of social networking skills;
Dates
Deadline: As soon as possible
Cost/funding for participants
Living Condition
- Your living condition may vary extremely between rural and urban communities. Availability of running water, internet and electricity in your house or even a small rural hut .
- However AU-YVC ensures minimal standards for modest living conditions enabling a healthy lifestyle with access to clean water, sanitation and health care.
Living Expense
- AU-YVC would provide you with a living allowance that would enable you cover all your expenses during your deployment and provide you with a medical insurance and a plane ticket to country of deployment and back home.
- The monthly allowance could vary greatly from country to country and within a given country itself. The guiding principle remains however, whereas volunteers are not expected to make any financial gains, they shall at the same time not incur any financial losses
Un-save Opportunity
Internships, scholarships, student conferences and competitions.
