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Africa Volunteer Program

With a minimum stay of six months and the possibility to intern for two years or more, the Africa Volunteer Program is a great way to gain experience in a rapidly expanding organization while working to empower communities across Africa . Tostan encourages applicants, 18 years and older, from anywhere in the world to apply. College/university students, recent graduates, Master's, and Ph.D. candidates are especially welcome. Placements are full-time, unpaid, and competitive.

Placements

We are currently placing volunteers in

Senegal

, The Gambia,

Mauritania

, Guinea Conakry, Guinea Bissau , and

Djibouti.

View our Current Openings to look at available volunteer position descriptions.

Start Dates

Tostan asks volunteer applicants to respect our desire to welcome and orient new volunteers together, at certain times throughout the year. For this upcoming year, 2009, we plan to welcome new volunteers on:

January 19, 2009: applications due October 1 , 2008

April 13, 2009: applications due January 1 , 2009

June 1, 2009: applications due March 1, 2009

September 14, 2009: applications due June 1 , 2009

Application Process
1)        Start by reading our Costs & Considerations document.

2)       You can then download and complete our volunteer application form.

3)       Once completed, send the following materials to the Volunteer Coordinator ( volunteer@tostan.org ):

·          Completed Volunteer Application
·          Letter of motivation
·          Most current CV or resumé
·          Short writing sample(s): 1-3 pages, non-fiction, on a development- or Africa-related subject of your choice, possibly from past coursework or a published article. N on-Francophones applying to volunteer in a francophone country, please send one sample in English and another in French. F or Francophones, please send a sample in French and another in English.

4)       The Volunteer Coordinator will respond to confirm reception of your application materials, and e-mail promising candidates about setting up interviews about two weeks after the deadline for that round’s applications.

More Questions?

For questions about Tostan's Africa Volunteer Program, consult our new FAQ page! For any other information that is not answered here or in the documents available on this site, please email volunteer@tostan.org .

Please note that we can only discuss placement opportunities with those who have already submitted an application.

For Researchers

Some Tostan volunteers have conducted independent research while volunteering full-time in Africa. If you are interested in doing research while volunteering with Tostan, please read our research policy. On your volunteer application, be sure to indicate your intention to conduct independent research. Tostan cannot provide resources to researchers who have not made prior, specific arrangements with the organization well in advance.