Information and Application for Prospective Partner Organizations
Thank you for your interest in partnering with Princeton in Africa!
Overview of Princeton in Africa
Princeton in Africa (PiAf) was founded in 1999 by a group of Princeton alumni, faculty, and staff with the mission of developing young leaders committed to Africa’s advancement. To do this, we offer yearlong fellowship opportunities with a variety of organizations that work across the African continent. What began as two Princeton Fellows spending a summer working in Rwanda has evolved into a network of over 300 alumni worldwide. Our program is now open to recent college graduates from any accredited U.S. college or university. In our 2013-14 fellowship year, we have 46 Fellows (from 30 different colleges/universities) working in 15 African countries with 25 partner organizations. Fellows are selected following a rigorous application and review process – this past year, we had a 10% placement rate. PiAf creates an excellent opportunity for both partners and Fellows – organizations enjoy access to an exceptionally motivated and talented group of young people and Fellows gain a unique experience in Africa that translates into a lifelong commitment to African affairs and service. To learn more about PiAf, please visit www.princetoninafrica.org.
We are an independent (501)(c)(3) nonprofit organization. We are affiliated with Princeton University, but PiAf is not funded directly by the University. We rely on the generosity of numerous individuals, corporations, and foundations to fulfill our mission. We also rely on partner organizations to cover on-the-ground expenses for our Fellows and to assist with Princeton in Africa’s own program support costs.
Partnerships
PiAf partnerships benefit both Fellows and partner organizations by creating opportunities for talented young people to serve in Africa and by providing effective, low-cost employees to organizations working in Africa. Fellowships are 12 months long and begin between June and September each year following our mandatory pre-departure orientation in Princeton in early June. Current partners include the International Rescue Committee, Baylor International Pediatric AIDS Initiative, Mpala Research Center and Wildlife Foundation, Clinton Health Access Initiative, UN World Food Programme, Maru-a-Pula, Save the Children, Imani Development and The BOMA Project. To apply to become a partner organization, please complete the attached application.
Selection of Partner Organizations
Each partner organization application is vetted by the PiAf Programs Committee, which is made up of members of the Princeton in Africa board of directors and PiAf staff members. Partner review is a somewhat lengthy process in which committee members closely review each partner organization’s application. We also check references and, in most cases, arrange for a PiAf staff member or other member of our network to conduct a partner site visit. In general, potential partner organizations should apply in the summer or early fall if they are interested in having a Fellow the following fellowship year (e.g. apply in August 2013 in order for a Fellow to start in summer 2014).
Selection and Placement of PiAf Fellows
Candidates are chosen by Princeton in Africa through a lengthy process to identify the applicants with the greatest chance at success. Applicants must submit a written application, due in November each year, which includes essays, professional or academic references, and an academic transcript. The process continues with in-person interviews for selected candidates in January and then further review by a selection committee. PiAf then generally presents organizations with several candidates for their own internal review. Once Fellows are chosen, PiAf helps prepare both Fellows and field offices to utilize Fellows as effectively as possible.
Fellows are matched with partner organizations based on their capabilities and, where appropriate, their technical knowledge and language skills. Fellows are only presented to one partner organization at a time for review. Because candidates are reserved for a particular partner, our partner organizations are given a two-week period for interviews and to decide upon candidates before candidates are made available for other partners to review. A Fellow’s start date is to be determined by the partner and the Fellow, but start dates must occur after the conclusion of the mandatory orientation in Princeton and must occur between mid-June and early September.
Funding
PiAf seeks to ensure that the basic costs of each fellowship are covered (thereby keeping these fellowship experiences open to all applicants). Fellows are not expected to profit and are expected to live frugally. Depending on the location where a Fellow is based, the total cost of a fellowship is typically between $15,000 - $25,000 per year. This includes all of a Fellow’s on-the-ground costs, including housing and basic living expenses, the Fellow’s flight, as well as Princeton in Africa’s program support costs, which include medical insurance/medical and political evacuation insurance, orientation, mid-year retreat, financial aid (if applicable), program staff travel to Africa to meet with partners, and program staff support throughout the fellowship year. Placing Fellows in more rural locations or providing housing in-kind would obviously decrease some of those costs. In general, Fellows are expected to pay for their flights to/from Africa and any vaccinations or medications needed during their fellowship year.
While funding arrangements vary between posts, partner organizations are asked to contribute significantly to the costs of each fellowship. In some cases, partner organizations are able to cover the full cost. In others, PiAf may assist by covering a portion of our program support costs; partner organizations might then cover on-the-ground costs via stipend and/or in-kind contributions such as housing. Given PiAf’s budget constraints, potential partners who are able to cover all on-the-ground costs (and particularly those who are able to contribute to our programmatic support costs) are more likely to be approved by the Princeton in Africa Programs Committee.
Background on PiAf Fellows
Overview
Princeton in Africa Fellows are recent university graduates from any accredited college or university in the United States; some are enrolled in or have completed graduate-level studies. Most have prior internship experience and some have a year or more of professional work experience. They have specialized in a variety of fields—from politics and public policy to biology and engineering. Many hold African Studies certificates or have previously spent time in Africa or abroad. Some bring strong language skills, such as French or Swahili, or other specialized skills, such as experience with statistics, teaching, monitoring and evaluation, or grant writing.
Possible Roles for Fellows
Because PiAf Fellows come from diverse backgrounds and bring with them a range of skill sets, they serve our partner organizations in a variety of capacities. For example, Fellows fit in well in a general information/reporting officer role as well as a role focusing on communications. Their English writing skills are strong and they are able to synthesize significant quantities of information quickly. Fellows also make strong assistant program officers/program officers, overseeing, for instance, a specific project and focusing on monitoring and evaluation. They are also well-prepared to play a coordination role amongst partners, and many of our Fellows assist with proposal writing.
While not yet specialists at this stage in their careers, many applicants have the ability to work more broadly on issues such as health, education, and sustainable development. Applicants include pre-medical candidates who have worked in health clinics; biology and engineering majors who have worked to improve solar panels and designed sustainable water filters; and individuals with teaching experience or experience working directly with children and youth.
Recent PiAf Fellows Have…
· Organized activities for a club that educates and empowers HIV-positive adolescents in Botswana
· Designed micro-enterprise trainings for women in poverty in Kenya
· Reported on food emergencies in West Africa
· Created a system to better track tuberculosis patients in Tanzania
· Helped secure micro-loans for toilet operator entrepreneurs in Kenya
· Helped install wind turbines to give communities on a crowded island in Lake Victoria access to sustainable power
· Visited refugee camps in Ethiopia to interview mothers and teenage girls in order to strengthen the humanitarian assistance provided to women in the local community
· Taught primary and secondary school students in English, Chemistry, History and Geography in Ethiopia and Botswana
· Conceived and implemented a community outreach program for health clinics in Lesotho
Princeton in Africa Partner Organization Application
Please complete this application to the best of your ability so that we can learn more about your organization and how a PiAf Fellow could support your work. We recognize that many of your responses below may be projected/proposed and not yet “set in stone,” so we will use the information you provide as a basis for continued conversations.
Date Application Submitted:
Organization’s Contact Information
1. Name of Organization:
2. Name of Contact Person(s):
3. Title of Contact Person(s):
4. Email Address of Contact Person(s):
5. Telephone number of Contact Person(s):
6. Address of Organization’s Headquarters (including city/country):
7. City and Country of Proposed Fellowship Post (if different than above):
8. Department/Unit of Proposed Fellowship Post:
9. Website:
Organization’s Background
1. Year organization was established:
2. Overview of organization (mission, vision, values, brief description of focus of work and target population):
3. In which country is the organization registered?
4. Is the organization a non-profit/non-governmental organization? Yes No
If yes, identification #:
5. Annual operating budget for organization (please note if USD or other currency): $
6. Annual operating budget for country office where Fellow will be based (if applicable) (please note if USD or other currency): $
7. What are the primary sources of funding for the office and for the fellowship position in particular?
8. **Please also submit with this application: (a) your most recent IRS 990 Form if the organization is registered in the U.S. or (b) your organization’s annual operational budget if registered outside the U.S.
9. Doers your organization currently have Princeton in Africa Fellows? Yes No
If yes, in which location(s)/office(s)?
10. Has your organization had Princeton in Africa Fellows in the past? Yes No
If yes, when and in which location(s)/office(s)?
11. Does your organization have organizational safety & security policies in place? Yes No
12. Does your organization have a comprehensive sexual harassment policy? Yes No
13. Does your organization have a comprehensive non-discrimination policy? Yes No
14. Which of the following sectors best describes the focus of your organization's work:
Advocacy and Civil Society Conflict Resolution and Peace Building
Humanitarian Aid/Relief Environment and Conservation
Engineering Education/Teaching/Youth Capacity Building
Social Entrepreneurship Income Generation/Microfinance
Public Health Agriculture/Nutrition
Private Sector/Business Voluntourism
Other (Please indicate “other” field here _______________________________________)
15. Please feel free to provide any additional information about your organization’s policies, procedures and practices:
Description of Proposed PiAf Fellowship Opportunity
1. Proposed dates of assignment for PiAf Fellow (Please note that Fellows can leave for their posts anytime between June and September--after PiAf’s mandatory orientation--and fellowships are expected to be 12 months in length):
2. Proposed purpose, job description, and work plan for PiAf Fellow (Please list job title and provide a brief description of possible responsibilities and focus areas):
3. Please describe the skills, experiences and personal characteristics you believe a Fellow will need to be successful in this post.
Description of Partner Work Environment
1. Proposed location of this position. If the proposed location of this position is not a major urban area, approximately how big is the town/city where the PiAf Fellow would be based?
2. Office environment:
a. Please describe the office environment where the Fellow would work.
b. Approximately how many staff members does the organization have (in the office of the proposed post and overall)?
c. What is the approximate expat to local staff member ratio in the office of the proposed fellowship post?
3. Supervision and Guidance:
a. To whom would the Fellow report (name, title and email address)?
b. What kind of onboarding/training/orientation will the Fellow receive at the start of his/her fellowship?
c. What kind of ongoing mentorship and guidance will the Fellow receive from the supervisor and other staff members?
d. PiAf finds it beneficial for supervisors to have weekly check-ins with the Fellow to identify projects for the Fellow to work on, set goals for the year, and to ensure the Fellow has feedback on his/her work. What kind of regular check-ins would the supervisor at this post be able to do?
e. What experience does this office have managing Fellows, interns and/or volunteers?
4. Safety and security:
a. Please describe the security situation in the area of the proposed fellowship. In particular, please note any ongoing security issues or upcoming events (e.g. elections) that we may need to monitor during the fellowship year.
b. Would the Fellow travel for work in this fellowship post? If so, where would the Fellow travel and what is the security situation in areas the Fellow would travel to? What would be the security protocol for a Fellow who travels to the field?
c. What precautions or procedures does your organization have in place to ensure the Fellow’s safety? Does your organization have a security plan and evacuation plan in place for staff (especially expat staff)?
Fellowship Funding and Logistics
1. Living stipend:
a. What is the estimated amount needed per month to cover a Fellow’s basic living expenses (housing, utilities, food, local transportation, telephone, and other incidentals--please refer to the budget below when calculating total expenses)? Please specify if calculated in USD or another currency.
b. What monthly living stipend can the organization provide for the Fellow (please refer to the budget below when calculating the stipend)?
c. How will this stipend be paid (USD or other currency, frequency of payments, to US bank account or in cash)?
2. Proposed housing situation:
a. If housing is provided by your organization, please describe the proposed housing arrangements for the Fellow in as much detail as possible. Include location, costs (to be covered by the organization or by the Fellow), distance from work place, available amenities, security features, roommates. Is transportation required? How will this be arranged?
b. If housing is not provided by your organization, what support will you provide the Fellow in locating safe and secure accommodation in a safe neighborhood that is affordable and a reasonable distance from the office?
3. Travel:
a. Will your organization provide transportation for the Fellow on the ground (e.g., to and from work)? If not, how do you propose the Fellow safely get back and forth from work to the office and around town?