Internships

Thank you for your interest in our internship program.

Our internship programme is closed for 2009.

Please check back in the future for other opportunities.

CHESSA OSBURN (June-Dec. 2007) 

After completing a masters degree in International Peace Studies at Trinity College Dublin, I had the opportunity to join the JRP team in northern Uganda for a research internship from June to December 2007. The internship allowed me to put my classroom knowledge to the test, to develop valuable field research skills, and to explore a place and a culture that I'd never experienced. I joined a talented Ugandan team that had in-depth knowledge of action research, an unparalleled understanding of the region and its population, not to mention first hand experience of the devastating protracted northern conflict. I got the chance to be a part of the research process from start to finish, from research design to data collection (including in-depth interviews and focus group discussions in towns and IDP camps across northern Uganda), data entry and analysis, and report writing. The focus of my research was disarmament, demobilization and reintegration (DDR) (With or Without Peace: DDR in northern Uganda), and the impact of peer support on reintegration of formerly abducted persons (report forthcoming).

It was a challenging experience that tested every skill I had, both professional and personal. I learned to be patient, flexible, and to resort to humor in the darkest or most frustrating of circumstances, to lead raucous focus group discussions with young mothers and conduct moving in-depth interviews with former child soldiers, to eat posho with malakwang and chapati with beans, beans, and more beans, and to pump water from a bore hole and take basin showers. I experienced Acholi culture and developed close ties to and meaningful relationships with the community. The Acholi people are some of the warmest, most welcoming, and most resilient I have encountered in all of my travels. I was also able to witness the response of the international community and the mechanics of the international system, which was fascinating for one who had studied such efforts from afar.

I am very grateful for my experience with JRP and my time in northern Uganda.

LAUREN GOULD (February – June 2007)

When I started the Masters degree Conflict Studies and Human Rights at the University of Utrecht in September 2007, one of my main aspirations was to combine my field research with an internship abroad. Having done a bachelor in social psychology and a minor in conflict studies I felt it was time to put my theoretical knowledge to the test and find out whether I was up to the challenge of doing fieldwork in (post) conflict zones.

Throughout my studies I had always maintained a special interest in the complex dynamics of the civil war in northern Uganda. Subsequently, during literature research, I often came across the innovative research findings published by Erin Baines and was pleasantly surprised to find out that not only had she set up the Justice and Reconciliation Project to broaden the reach of her grass roots research, but that JRP also offered internship positions. I jumped at the opportunity and wrote an open application the next day. Within a couple of months my application had received the thumbs up from the board at the LIU Institute for Global Issues as well as the rest of the JRP team, and by December I was doing Christmas shopping for mosquito repellent and factor 30.

I would be lying if I said that I was not nervous about the prospects of the new experiences that lay ahead of me. Traveling to northern Uganda represented “a first” in many different ways; it was the first time I would travel to sub Sahara Africa, it was the first time I would be working in IDP camps, and of course it would be the first time I would actually meet the JRP team. Fortunately, the team and the project provided me with a great learning environment to get to grips with these new experiences; offering me the opportunity to go out and discover things for myself while providing me with a safety net when I needed one.

Within the first week of my arrival, the JRP research officers took me to three of their satellite offices in the IDP camps. Here, I was introduced to the focal points and shown how they and the research officers’ work together to conduct grass roots research and implement projects in the camps. With the knowledge of the structure and vision of the organization in tow, I was put to work, and as momentum started to build I was given more and more interesting projects to work on. Firstly, I conducted a quantitative analysis of the survey data collected for JRP’s ‘Thruth Telling’ report. Secondly, I was given the opportunity to work with the focal points to design and implement a cultural competition for youth living in the IDP camps. Thirdly, I conducted field research on the role of Dance, Song and Drama in healing and reconciliation among FAPs, youths and the broader community. The best part about working on the cultural competition as well as conducting the research is that it required me to live among the people in the IDP camps for a total of five weeks. I cannot tell you how wonderful, warm and inviting the Acholi people are and I still remain perplexed at their ability to move on in life after all they have been through.

The high light of my internship experience was, without a doubt, assisting the team in implementing a seminar at the Juba Peace Talks. It was amazing to be able to observe the politics of the peace negotiations first hand and it was inspiring to witness how JRP managed to bring across the voice of the IDP’s in the debate on traditional justice.

All in all, my time at JRP lent me invaluable insight into the local, national and international dynamics of the conflict in northern Uganda and taught me the fundamental importance of giving and hearing the voice of grass roots communities. Given the opportunity I would go back in a heartbeat!

The only advice I can give to prospective JRP interns is to be open to new experiences and work hard, then I am sure your time in northern Uganda will be as inspiring and fulfilling as mine……..

Click here to read Lauren's MA thesis, based on her internship in northern Uganda.

SARAH LOUW (May-August 2006)

I had the opportunity to intern with JRP in the summer of 2006. It was an incredible experience that was extremely interesting and challenging. During my internship, I participated in the development of a research plan and the tools to implement the research plan. I had the chance to to adminster questionnaires in various IDP camps where I learnt the value of a great translator and good shorthand. In quantifiable terms, interning taught me how a research project is developed, and how to do field research and present that research to others. In less quantifiable terms, the internship taught me to appreciate a whole new culture and approach to life. I thoroughly enjoyed the people I worked with at JRP and the entire interning experience.