Refugees International Summer Internship…

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About this opportunity

The Refugees International Summer Internship: Horn of Africa 2026 is a paid summer internship opportunity for undergraduate and graduate students, or recent graduates, with a strong interest in displacement, refugee protection, and humanitarian affairs. The intern will support Refugees International's documentation and research efforts focused on Sudan, South Sudan, Ethiopia, and Somalia, helping to capture the experiences of refugees, internally displaced persons, returnees, host communities, and service providers affected by conflict, climate shocks, and displacement policies. Key responsibilities include tracking research tasks, monitoring regional developments, drafting memos and background materials, and contributing to community-centered documentation practices such as oral histories and digital evidence. The internship runs from late May to late August 2026, requiring a minimum of 250 hours of work. Interns will receive a $5,000 stipend. Applicants must be U.S.-based and are expected to have strong research, writing, and organizational skills, along with familiarity with conflict-driven displacement or community-based advocacy. Lived experience is welcomed but not required. Applications require a resume, cover letter, and a one- to two-page writing sample, with a deadline of May 22, 2026.

Who can apply

Be enrolled as an undergraduate or graduate student, or have recently graduated within the past year
Seek the internship as part of an educational experience related to the program in which you are enrolled
Have a strong interest in the Horn of Africa, displacement and migration policy, refugee protection, community documentation, storytelling, human rights, and humanitarian affairs
Have familiarity with conflict-driven displacement, regional protection frameworks, community-based advocacy, or archival/storytelling work (lived experience welcomed but not required)
Have strong research, writing, organizational, communication, and administrative skills
Be interested in ethical documentation practices, including oral histories, digital evidence, written accounts, quantitative data, and community-centered approaches
Be based within the United States
Work at least 250 hours as guided by RI staff
Begin in late May 2026 and end no later than late August 2026
Submit resume, cover letter, and a one- to two-page writing sample
undergraduate or graduate students
recently graduated students
US-based applicants
humanitarian affairs and refugee policy researchers
community documentation and storytelling enthusiasts

About this opportunity

Who can apply

Be enrolled as an undergraduate or graduate student, or have recently graduated within the past year
Seek the internship as part of an educational experience related to the program in which you are enrolled
Have a strong interest in the Horn of Africa, displacement and migration policy, refugee protection, community documentation, storytelling, human rights, and humanitarian affairs
Have familiarity with conflict-driven displacement, regional protection frameworks, community-based advocacy, or archival/storytelling work (lived experience welcomed but not required)
Have strong research, writing, organizational, communication, and administrative skills
Be interested in ethical documentation practices, including oral histories, digital evidence, written accounts, quantitative data, and community-centered approaches
Be based within the United States
Work at least 250 hours as guided by RI staff
Begin in late May 2026 and end no later than late August 2026
Submit resume, cover letter, and a one- to two-page writing sample
undergraduate or graduate students
recently graduated students
US-based applicants
humanitarian affairs and refugee policy researchers
community documentation and storytelling enthusiasts