Research Intern/ Volunteer

Background

SANJAL is a renowned network of 18 small local non-governmental organizations in rural, very remote areas of Nepal, with headquarters in the capital Kathmandu. In the respective local societies, SANJAL influences the peaceful coexistence of religious and ethnic minorities and majority groups. The focus is on the relevance of religion for social conflicts because many conflicts over access to resources necessary for better living conditions occur between religious groups. SANJAL’s approach to dialogue promotion involves various potentially conflictive dimensions of societal fragmentation, including, for example, ethnic identity, gender, or caste. In addition, SANJAL and member organizations have many other areas of focus, such as sexual health, women’s rights, and child marriage prevention. SANJAL’s primary role is to provide technical support to the member organizations, conduct training, and fill administrative gaps for more informally constituted members.
SANJAL is currently in exchange with different universities and plans to expand its research activities. In Nepal, there is a lack of sound data in many areas, which is needed for advocacy and project proposals, among others. However, this also includes action research to identify new, innovative methods (including conflict management) and share them with relevant stakeholders. To support this important area of SANJAL, we are looking for a motivated intern with the following tasks, which can be discussed in more detail.

Tasks

In trustful cooperation with colleagues from SANJAL and numerous peace and development initiatives, you will engage yourself mainly by:
– Conceptualize and conduct a broad needs assessment on the training needs of SANJAL’s member organizations
– Planning, development, and implementation of a separate research project in coordination with SANJAL
– Duty travels to remote parts of Nepal as per need
– Development of a research report
– Development of a research guide for member organizations and training of SANJAL and member organizations in different research tools
– Support monitoring and evaluation activities as per need
– Support action research as per need

Profile

– Willingness for business trips within Nepal with overnight stays under very basic conditions
– Business fluent in written and spoken English
– Intercultural competence, openness, and motivation for integration into the culture of Nepal
– Independence, self-confidence, openness, and ability to work independently
– Affinity, high interest, and, at best first experiences in research
– High communication skills, oral and written
– Experience and interest in photography, image editing, and creative writing with an eye for detail
– Competence in using Google online tools, internet research, emails
– Being enrolled in or recently graduated from a relevant master’s program

Sanjal offers

– A workspace in a centrally located office in Ekantakuna, Lalitpur
– Working in a small, friendly team with flexible working hours
– An exciting job with insight into the work of SANJAL and its member organizations
– An introduction to life in Nepal, SANJAL’s work, and the upcoming internship
– A written confirmation of the work done following the successful completion of the internship

Further information

– Individuals interested in an internship at SANJAL must bring their own laptop, which is needed for daily work and cannot be provided by SANJAL.
– Daily working hours are 9 am – 5 pm Monday-Friday except for holidays, which are considered non-working days according to SANJAL’s policy
– SANJAL is happy to assist with housing if needed but cannot provide accommodation, meals, or other financial compensation to individuals, such as for daily commuting to work
– The opportunity to work from home occasionally is available
– Interested individuals must send a cover letter, resume, certificate of good conduct, and a writing sample of at least 1 page in English. If the requirements are met, an online interview will take place
– The intern will live by himself/ herself, which requires a high level of independence
– The supervisor is the Nepali Executive Director
– Minimum duration for internships is three months