Background

WWF International expanded its global Youth Engagement Programme for 18–30-year-old in 2024. The Programme, which provides internships, youth-led grassroots leadership programme and virtual mentorship opportunities, aims to inspire a new generation of environmental advocates and leaders, especially young women, in their countries and communities to actively contribute to youth and community-led conservation and help drive positive change*.

WWF is an independent conservation organisation, striving to sustain the natural world for the benefit of people and wildlife. From individuals and communities to business and government, we are part of a growing coalition calling on world leaders to set nature on the path to recovery by 2030. Together, we seek to protect and restore natural habitats, stop the mass extinction of wildlife, and make the way we produce and consume sustainable*1

MISSION OF THE DEPARTMENT

WWF’s mission is to stop the degradation of the planet’s natural environment and to build a future in which humans live in harmony with nature by conserving the world’s biological diversity, ensuring that the use of renewable natural resources is sustainable, and promoting the reduction of pollution and wasteful consumption.

The Freshwater program aims to strengthen the management and resilience of critical freshwater ecosystems in Uganda through targeted interventions that address water quality and quantity, aquatic biodiversity, wetland integrity and enhancing community livelihoods. The program focuses on enhancing the quantity and quality of freshwater resources, stabilizing the diversity of aquatic flora and fauna which enhances fisheries resources for improved nutrition and food security. It promotes the adoption of sustainable land use practices to reduce pollution from agriculture, innovative waste practices management including campaigns against single use plastics, restoring, protecting and sustainably managing riparian areas and water catchments. It also seeks to promote future-proof water governance systems by building national and local-level catchment institutional capacity for ecological planning, management, monitoring and decisionmaking, while fostering sustainable consumption and production of freshwater resources.

MAJOR FUNCTIONS

The intern will assist in the implementation of conservation projects and contribute to WWF Uganda’s work of protecting the country’s water resources.

S/he will have basic practical experience in water resources management and conservation, community engagement and inclusion in conservation. The intern will be responsible for assisting the Freshwater program to implement approaches for sustainable resource management in line with the country’s development aspirations. Specifically, they will

A) Support Climate Vulnerability Assessments for Freshwater Ecosystems

B) Contribute to the Development and Implementation of Nature-based Solutions (NbS) for Freshwater Resilience

C) Assist in Stakeholder Engagement and Capacity Building

MAJOR DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Provide support to plan and implement Water Resources initiatives including organizing meetings and field activities.
• Assist in collecting and analyzing biophysical and socio-economic data on rivers, wetlands, lakes, and catchments.
• Participate in field assessments and stakeholder interviews.
• Support identification of NbS interventions such as riparian restoration, wetland rehabilitation, soil and water conservation, and natural flood buffering measures.
• Assist in documenting restoration progress and tracking ecological indicators.
• Help prepare technical briefs on NbS effectiveness in enhancing ecosystem and community resilience.
• Support planning and facilitation of community meetings, catchment stakeholder dialogues, and training workshops.
• Document best practices, lessons learned, and testimonies from local communities.
• Prepare communication materials such as fact sheets, presentations, and awareness materials on climate-smart freshwater management.
• Assist in drafting policy briefs, background papers, and submissions for climate and water governance dialogues.

PROFILE

Required Qualifications.

• The applicant must hold a Bachelor’s Degree in either Forestry, Environment or Natural Resources Management, Water and Wetlands Management, Climate Change Sciences or Fisheries or Aquatic Resources Management

Required Skills and Competencies.

• Excellent computer skills and proficiency Microsoft office applications
• Fluency in English and at least one other local language spoken in the Albertine Graben
• Excellent oral and written communication skills
• Research and analytical skills
• Ability to work in remote locations with basic social amenities and rough terrains
• Ability to interpret, apply departmental policies and procedures and quickly learn new ideas
• Ability to plan, organize and coordinate workload
• Good interpersonal skills and ability to establish and maintain effective working relations with people in a diverse-cultural environment
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team
• Identify and align with the core values of the WWF organisation: Courage, Integrity, Respect & Collaboration

WORKING RELATIONSHIPS

Internal.

You will work closely with the WWF Uganda staff, both in the operational and technical teams including all the field-based staff.

External.

Under the close supervision of a WWF Staff, you will interact with all key stakeholders and partners, District Local Governments, Local communities as well as other conservation organizations and institutions that WWF Uganda Country Office works with.

• Provide support to plan and implement Water Resources initiatives including organizing meetings and field activities.
• Assist in collecting and analyzing biophysical and socio-economic data on rivers, wetlands, lakes, and catchments.
• Participate in field assessments and stakeholder interviews.
• Support identification of NbS interventions such as riparian restoration, wetland rehabilitation, soil and water conservation, and natural flood buffering measures.
• Assist in documenting restoration progress and tracking ecological indicators.
• Help prepare technical briefs on NbS effectiveness in enhancing ecosystem and community resilience.
• Support planning and facilitation of community meetings, catchment stakeholder dialogues, and training workshops.
• Document best practices, lessons learned, and testimonies from local communities.
• Prepare communication materials such as fact sheets, presentations, and awareness materials on climate-smart freshwater management.
• Assist in drafting policy briefs, background papers, and submissions for climate and water governance dialogues.

• Excellent computer skills and proficiency Microsoft office applications
• Fluency in English and at least one other local language spoken in the Albertine Graben
• Excellent oral and written communication skills
• Research and analytical skills
• Ability to work in remote locations with basic social amenities and rough terrains
• Ability to interpret, apply departmental policies and procedures and quickly learn new ideas
• Ability to plan, organize and coordinate workload
• Good interpersonal skills and ability to establish and maintain effective working relations with people in a diverse-cultural environment
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team
• Identify and align with the core values of the WWF organisation: Courage, Integrity, Respect & Collaboration

• The applicant must hold a Bachelor’s Degree in either Forestry, Environment or Natural Resources Management, Water and Wetlands Management, Climate Change Sciences or Fisheries or Aquatic Resources Management