UNICEF India Internship Programme
28 May - 5 August 2008December 3, 2007
Background
UNICEF India Country Office invites applications for a full-time India Internship programme from 28 May to 5 August 2008. Conceived as part of a broader initiative to build a Knowledge Community on Children in India (KCCI), UNICEF India is partnering with research and academic institutions to encourage young students and scholars from around the world in engaging in development issues pertaining to India’s children and women.
The internship offers an opportunity for research and field work on issues related to child rights in India across a variety of areas: child protection, health, nutrition, education, HIV/AIDS, and water and sanitation. The assignment will involve a combination of desk and field work at the district or village level, with interns being grouped into teams that are based in state capitals and work under the supervision of selected research institutions/non-governmental organisations.
Expected Outputs
The expected output from each team is a 30 page research paper that will feed into a larger body of thematic research being conducted by UNICEF and partners in India.
Eligibility
Applicants should be enrolled in a Masters level graduate programme or a higher degree program, in one of the following disciplines: anthropology, child psychology, demography, economics, education, engineering, human rights, international development, journalism, legal studies, public health, sociology, statistics, rural development, social work, or any other relevant area. Those who have completed their Masters level graduate programmes in 2007 are also eligible to apply. Applicants should have excellent command of English, both written and spoken. Short-listed applicants whose English is not the first language may be subject to a phone interview.
Location
Selected interns will be placed in research institutions across states where UNICEF has a presence. Possible locations include Hyderabad (Andhra Pradesh), Patna (Bihar), Ranchi (Jharkand), Gandhinagar (Gujarat), Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh), Mumbai (Maharashtra), Bhubhaneswar (Orissa), Chennai (Tamil Nadu), Kolkata (West Bengal), Jaipur (Rajasthan), Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) and New Delhi.
Selected interns must be willing to go to any of the locations mentioned. Interns will report to New Delhi for an initial orientation before traveling to their assigned duty stations where they will be based and from where they will be expected to travel to village / district field sites.
Support
All interns are expected to bear the costs such as travel from home to duty station and back, as well as accommodation and food for the entire duration of the internship programme. However, UNICEF will provide Rs. 15,000 (approx US$380) as partial support to all interns for the two month period. UNICEF India will also meet the expenses incurred on the following: (a) travel from Delhi to the assigned state capital after the orientation workshop, (b) field trips from the State capital to the field and, (c) travel from state capital to Delhi for the closing workshop at the end of the internship programme.
Insurance
UNICEF does not accept responsibility for medical insurance. Interns must ensure that they carry appropriate medical and life insurance coverage for the entire period of the internship, and provide proof of this prior to the start of the programme, without which they will not be able to participate.
Application
Interested and eligible students should download application “Application for offices outside New York”. In addition to the application from, all students are required to submit a ‘Statement of Purpose’ indicating their area of interest, relevant skills, experience and motivation for applying to this programme. Please note that this statement of purpose is an integral part of the application package and should be no more than 500 words. In addition, academic transcripts and two letters of recommendation are also to be submitted. The dates of this programme are non-negotiable; interns are expected to attend the entire duration of the programme and to work full-time on the internship. Further details are available on the UNICEF India website and the KCCI website.
Due Date
Completed applications should be sent to indiahr@unicef.org no later than January 31, 2008. Please write “UNICEF India Internship Application” in the subject of your email. UNICEF India will contact only short listed candidates . Final selection will take place no later than 31 March 2008.
