At a glance
Join our Human Rights internship in Tanzania and kick-start your legal career. You’ll work with professional human rights lawyers and help to protect the rights of women and children in Tanzania. We set up this Human Rights Project specifically to help address issues of gender inequality that are prevalent in this country.
This is an opportunity to enhance your CV and get practical legal experience doing things like writing pleas, researching cases, and giving human rights presentations.
You’ll also do important work to promote women’s empowerment and raise awareness about human rights. You’ll focus on tackling injustices and helping with issues of land, inheritance, and probate law. The work you do will help us provide legal aid to women and children who can’t afford it.
You’ll be based in Arusha, a lush and vibrant city in the north of Tanzania. In this breathtaking setting, you’ll have the chance to connect with nature, go for a safari, or hike around the base of Mount Kilimanjaro.
Start Dates:
Completely flexible dates
See DatesMinimum Duration:
Two Weeks
Requirements:
Anyone aged 16 or over can join
Is a Human Rights internship in Tanzania right for me?
Looking to gain practical human rights experience? This internship is an opportunity to learn directly from experienced human rights lawyers.
This internship is a great addition to your CV and will help with university applications or job applications in the competitive legal field. If you’re still deciding on your career path, you can experience the day-to-day life of a lawyer to help with your decision.
You don’t need any experience or qualifications to join. Projects Abroad staff will guide you and support you throughout your Human Rights placement in Tanzania.
This internship is also perfect for you if you want to provide practical legal support to vulnerable groups. You’ll be working with women and children to protect their rights and help enforce justice.
This internship runs all year round so you can join whenever it suits your schedule. The minimum duration is four weeks, but we recommend staying longer so you can learn and do as much as possible.
What will I do at my Human Rights placement in Tanzania?
You’ll experience many aspects of human rights law through these activities:
- Research cases and conduct interviews to find out about human rights issues on the ground
- Give presentations about human rights to help raise awareness
- Prepare people for court by role-playing different courtroom scenarios
- Write and update pleas to give juvenile offenders legal support
Your human rights work in Tanzania will focus on the following areas:
Research work and interviews
You’ll research issues like gender equality, children's rights, inheritance, property, land rights, violence against women, and minority rights. Through your research, you’ll gain a deeper understanding of the human rights issues prevalent in Tanzania. You can also use your research to help local lawyers with giving legal advice.
You’ll also visit different legal organisations and sit in on court proceedings. This will give you the chance to learn more about the role of a human rights lawyer.
Human rights awareness
By running presentations and workshops, you’ll help raise awareness about human rights. You’ll work with children in juvenile detention centres and with women from a women’s empowerment organisation. You’ll teach them about their rights and give advice on what to do when their rights are infringed.
Prepare individuals for court
You’ll help local people prepare for court cases by acting out courtroom scenarios with them. This will help build their confidence and leave them feeling ready for trial. It’s also a great opportunity for you to see what it’s like to be a lawyer in a real court case.
Write and update pleas
Children’s rights are often overlooked in the judicial process in Tanzania. For example, children are often wrongfully put in a cell with adults, which can be a traumatising experience. You’ll help these children by writing or updating their pleas to speed up the legal processes before trial.
Where in Tanzania will I work?
Arusha
You’ll be based in Arusha, a city in Tanzania at the foot of Mount Meru. It’s home to over 400,000 people and has a buzzing city centre with exciting colourful markets. Communities on the outskirts are less developed, with dirt roads and less modern buildings.
You’ll do your office work, like research and report writing, at the Projects Abroad Human Rights Office (PAHRO). The office is well-equipped and our staff are there to answer your questions. You’ll also do fieldwork in local communities. These areas will usually be more remote and rural, and people here don’t have access to legal advice.
We’ve partnered with a local women’s organisation and a lot of your time will be spent working with them. You’ll also have the opportunity to work in a juvenile detention centre.
A typical day on this Human Rights internship
On a typical day, your human rights work in Tanzania will begin at about 9am and finish at 4pm. You’ll work from Monday to Friday, with your weekends free.
You’ll usually start your day by doing research work and writing up reports in the human rights office. You can take the time to prepare presentations or workshops. You’ll work alongside human rights lawyers, who will be there to answer your questions and guide you.
After office work, you’ll go to a local community to interview people. You might also visit a legal organisation to hear more about the kinds of legal issues they encounter, or you’ll give a talk on human rights to local people. You’ll also work with a local NGO to provide legal support to vulnerable groups.
Your evenings will be free, giving you the chance to travel around Arusha. You can spend time at a local market and buy an eye-catching Batik artwork, or enjoy a hearty meal with your host family.
What are the aims and impact of the Human Rights internship in Tanzania?
The aim of this project is to help address issues of gender inequality that are prevalent in Tanzania.
Tanzania has a history of human rights issues, particularly in terms of women’s and children’s rights. As an intern, you’ll work with qualified lawyers and help them advise local people. You’ll also help with raising human rights awareness, and promote women’s empowerment. You’ll do this by giving presentations and workshops about human rights.
Through research work and assisting local lawyers, you’ll also help provide free legal assistance to those who can’t afford it. The communities where we work are usually remote and the people here don’t have the funds to speak to lawyers when their rights are violated.
Another goal of this project is to give you practical human rights work experience while in Tanzania. It will boost your CV and you’ll get the chance to see what the day-to-day life of a human rights lawyer is like.
Join our Human Rights internship in Tanzania and gain valuable experience while working towards protecting human rights.
Measuring Our Impact
Our projects work towards clear long-term goals, with specific annual objectives. Every volunteer and intern we send to these projects helps us work towards these goals, no matter how long they spend on our projects.
Every year we take a step back and look at how much progress we've made towards these goals. We put together a Global Impact Report, which documents our achievements. Find out more about the impact our global community of volunteers, interns and staff make, and read the latest report.
Meet the team in Tanzania
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