Programme Interns: Youth, Gender and SRHR

The Position:

The Programme Interns are located in the UNFPA Malawi Country Office (CO) in Lilongwe. Under the direct supervision of the relevant team Programme Analysts, the Interns are responsible for providing technical, administrative, and logistical support to accelerate the implementation of the 9th Country Programme Document (CPD). They play a vital role in supporting interventions across youth, gender, and sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), while also contributing to strategic visual communications and digital visibility to amplify UNFPA’s mission and impact.

The Programme Interns provide operational support in designing and executing advocacy activities, workshops, and community outreach aimed at addressing high teenage pregnancies, child marriage, and gender-based violence (GBV). They are responsible for documenting good practices, supporting research on emerging trends, and developing inclusive digital content to influence public perception and mobilize support for the ICPD agenda. They maintain collaborative relationships across all thematic teams to ensure the effective delivery of transformative results and support the CO’s commitment to leaving no one behind.

How you can make a difference:

UNFPA is the lead United Nations agency for delivering a world where every pregnancy is intended, every childbirth is safe, and every young person's potential is fulfilled. The UNFPA Strategic Plan for 2026-2029 articulates the organization’s response to a complex global environment, providing a roadmap for resilience and renewal. It is designed to accelerate the implementation of the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) and the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030. This mandate is pursued through a focus on four interconnected outcomes: ending the unmet need for family planning; ending preventable maternal deaths; ending gender-based violence and harmful practices; and adapting to demographic change through evidence and rights-based policies.

In a world where fundamental human rights are at risk, we need principled and ethical staff, who embody these international norms and standards and who will defend them courageously and with full conviction.

UNFPA is seeking candidates who transform, inspire, and deliver high-impact and sustained results and ensure effective external relations, communications, and partnership-building and resource mobilization in a rapidly changing development and funding landscape. We need staff who are transparent, exceptional in how they manage the resources entrusted to them, and who commit to delivering excellence in programme results.

Job Purpose:

The primary purpose of this internship is to support the UNFPA in Malawi Country Programme in the implementation of key interventions across youth, gender and social norms, SRHR, and visual communications. The internship aims to provide practical experience while contributing to programme delivery, documentation, and visibility.

Under the supervision of the relevant teams' programme analysts through the Team Leads, the three (3) interns will provide both technical, logistical, and administrative support to ongoing initiatives. This includes support to programmes related to adolescents and youth, GBV and social norms, and SRHR, as well as contributing to communication and visibility efforts across units through visual and digital content.

The interns will further support ongoing activities, including editing and formatting of documents, development and documentation of good practices, coordination of physical and virtual meetings, preparation of minutes, presentations and speaking notes, and development of digital and visual materials for programme visibility.

The interns may also be required to carry out any other duties as reasonably assigned by UNFPA leadership.

You would be responsible for:

The Interns will be expected to perform the following activities:

• Assist in the development and implementation of UNFPA programme activities across youth, gender, SRHR, and visual communications workstreams.
• Support the delivery of programme interventions related to adolescents and youth, GBV and social norms, and other related SRHR programmes.
• Support the organization of workshops, training, outreach, and advocacy activities aimed at advancing programme priorities and raising awareness on youth, gender, SRHR, HIV, and inclusion issues.
• Support research on best practices, emerging trends, and relevant policies across youth, gender, SRHR, and communication/visual content development.
• Assist with programme monitoring activities, including the collection, collation, and analysis of feedback from partners and stakeholders to inform programme learning and improvement.
• Prepare reports, meeting minutes, briefs, and documentation on activities, results, and lessons learned.
• Contribute to the development and adaptation of communication, visibility, and educational materials, including visual content, ensuring that all materials are inclusive, accessible, and audience-appropriate.
• Support the development of human-interest stories, field briefs, newsletters, social media content, and other visibility products for internal and external dissemination.
• Participate in team meetings and contribute to programme coordination by preparing drafts, summaries, and presentations of best practices and key updates.
• Carry out any other related duties as may be reasonably assigned by UNFPA leadership.

Qualifications and Experience: 

Education:  

• Recently graduated from a relevant degree programme, e.g., social sciences, public health, youth and gender studies, communication, education, development studies, or related fields.

Knowledge and Experience: 

• Demonstrated interest in youth development, gender equality, sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), disability inclusion, and/or strategic communications.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Good interpersonal skills and ability to work effectively in a team-oriented and multicultural environment.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) and Google Workspace applications, including use of Cloud applications.
• An added advantage: basic skills or interest in graphic design, content creation, or digital communications tools.

Languages: 

Fluent in English (Both Verbal and Written)

Compensation and Benefits:

The interns will be paid as per the UNFPA internship payment guideline.

UNFPA Work Environment:

UNFPA provides a work environment that reflects the values of gender equality, diversity, integrity and healthy work-life balance. We are committed to ensuring gender parity in the organization and therefore encourage women to apply. Individuals from the LGBTQIA+ community, minority ethnic groups, indigenous populations, persons with disabilities, and other underrepresented groups are highly encouraged to apply. Reasonable accommodation may be provided to applicants with disabilities upon request, to support their participation in the recruitment process. UNFPA promotes equal opportunities in terms of appointment, training, compensation and selection for all regardless of personal characteristics and dimensions of diversity. Diversity, Equity and Inclusion is at the heart of UNFPA's workforce - click here to learn more.

Disclaimer:

Selection and appointment may be subject to background and reference checks, medical clearance, visa issuance and other administrative requirements. 

UNFPA does not charge any application, processing, training, interviewing, testing or other fee in connection with the application or recruitment process and does not concern itself with information on applicants' bank accounts.