Water Managment and MDG Intern- FSD

The final date to apply for FSD’s Fall 2010 session is November 1st. See below for information on 2010-2011 application instructions, deadlines, and program start dates.

About FSD and the Millennium Development Goals

Ten years ago, more than 100 world leaders joined together at the United Nations’ Millennium Summit to form a global partnership with an ambitious goal: cut extreme poverty 50% by 2015. Declaring a set of time-bound, measurable targets that we know today as the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), the United Nations laid a blueprint for meeting human needs and basic rights for all. 

With just five years from the 2015 deadline, hard-won gains such as getting children into primary schools and expanding access to clean water are being eroded by the climate, food and economic crises. Our failure to stay on-track carries real consequences: today, 25,000 children will die from easily preventable diseases—one child every three seconds (UNICEF). Right now, 925 million people do not have enough to eat and more than 1 billion people do not have access to basic sanitation and clean water (UNDP). Behind these statistics are real people and reaching all of them will require the combined efforts of individuals, governments, civil society organizations and the private sector.

FSD is doing its part through enhancing the capacity of more than 300 NGO partners around the world to address local health, social, environmental, and economic issues. Our asset-based approach to development leverages local resources before looking to external aid, emphasizes potentials rather than problems, and favors skill building over large financial awards. FSD is committed to the advancement of the MDGs through grassroots community action. Investing in our Environment is Key to Achieving the MDGs.

As an FSD Intern you will…

Work side-by-side with a Community-Based Organization specializing in one more of the following development sectors: health, youth and education, women’s empowerment, microfinance, human rights, community development and/or environmental issues.

Receive intensive training in skills essential to sustainable development, such as: community asset mapping, needs assessments, collaborative project design, grant writing, and project monitoring and evaluation.

Gain grant writing and project management experience through designing and implementing a community-driven development project in partnership with your host organization.

Access the FSD Alumni Network upon your return home to connect with like-minded individuals who help one another to reach their academic and professional goals through networking and regional events. FSD Alumni have won internationally renowned scholarships, studied at prestigious graduate schools, worked for prominent international development organizations, and have even started their own grassroots organizations.

Recent interns in have worked to ensure environmental sustainability…

Clean Water for Mayuge, Uganda

According to the WHO, infectious diseases, especially those that are water borne, are still the number one killer of children under the age of five and more people die from unsafe water annually than from ALL forms of violence, including wars. With multinational efforts attempting to tackle large issues at the root of the global water crisis, like policy-making and corruption, FSD helps to bring clean water now to the communities that need it most. Indeed, we have seen how even small financial and human capital investments in water can yield tremendous benefits to local communities worldwide. 

In partnership with FSD, Northwestern University’s Global Engage Summer Institute (GESI) sent a group of students to the Mayuge District of Uganda this summer to support local water issues. Students collaborated with FSD partner, RISE (Rural-Urban Initiatives to Support own Efforts), to assess the nature and extent of local water issues and identify appropriate solutions. The assessment found widespread consumption of unclean water, identifying high cost and inefficiency as the two main factors prohibiting community members from using well-known water purification methods, such as boiling and chemical additives. In response, the team introduced Solar Water Disinfection (SODIS), a free and more rapid method of purifying water that makes use of empty water bottles readily available on the streets of Mayuge.

Ensuring that RISE staff members led each phase of implementation, the team partnered with Water School Uganda to first train community leaders and school administrators, and then students at four secondary schools in SODIS and the importance of water hygiene. Initial follow-up visits show that this knowledge is getting transferred from students back home to their families and beyond, while also reducing litter and easing environmental degradation in the Mayuge District. FSD’s local Site Team reports, “Walking through Mayuge today, one will see many water bottles outside being purified by the sun. This seemingly small project will not only lead to healthier individuals and communities, but will expand exponentially to increase awareness, responsibility and quality of life for generations to come. Mayuge will never be the same!”

About FSD
Founded in 1995, the Foundation for Sustainable Development (FSD) supports the efforts of more than 300 grassroots, community-based partner organizations throughout Africa, Asia, and Latin America. FSD’s programs provide multi-faceted support that relies on active community participation to mobilize lasting solutions. FSD programs include:
 
 Capacity Building: Our professional field staff provides on-site training and networking opportunities to more than 300 community-based organizations worldwide. 

Training Programs Abroad: FSD provides comprehensive training and immersion programs for interns and volunteers who seek hands-on development experience. 

Grantmaking: Donations and grants given to FSD are used to support sustainable projects led by our partner organizations. 

Engaged Philanthropy: FSD Giving Circles organize groups of donors who pool their time, talent, and resources to make international grants to our partner organizations. 

 ACCEPTING FALL 2010 APPLICATIONS NOW

FSD’s Fall 2010 session begin January 15^th to March 19th and run from 9-52 weeks, depending on your availability. Applications are due November 1st 2010 and are available here: http://fsdinternational.org/apply/application. Applications received after this date will be placed on a wait list and accepted on a case by case basis.

Interested in future programs?
We have sessions starting year around: http://www.fsdinternational.org/apply/startdates

Questions?

Send us an email: info@fsdinternational.org
Call us at 415.283.4873, ext. 14.
Check out our website: http://www.fsdinternational.org