West African Research Association

Three (3) Summer 2002 Minority Student Internships are being offered in West Africa in an effort to increase the active participation of minorities in international affairs (African-Americans, Eskimo or Aleut, Native American Indians, Mexican Americans, Native Pacific Islanders, Puerto Ricans). Funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Education, the competition is open to U.S. citizens who are enrolled in the M.A. program of an accredited college or university in the United States. We strongly encourage students from HBCU’s and those without previous foreign travel experience to apply.

Each internship will provide round trip travel to the indicated West African country and a stipend to cover the cost of living for 6 to 8 weeks. The West African Research Center (WARC) in Dakar, Senegal may assist selected interns to locate lodgings, identify and establish in advance an appropriate intern affiliation with an agency, university or other suitable organization. Applicants, who have already established contacts with suitable agencies or institutions, should keep WARA well informed of their arrangements.

Applicants should submit a 4-6 page statement describing 1) the kind of internship they would like to carry out, including the field of activity (e.g., education, rural development, health, etc.); 2) the country they wish to work in; 3) the contribution such an experience would make to their academic and later professional career; 4) the academic, linguistic and/or other background they possess that prepares and qualifies them for this work; and 5) any previous international experience. In addition to this personal statement, each applicant must submit three (3) letters of recommendation from professors, a resume, and college transcript(s) with his/her application.

Upon completion of their internship, interns are required to submit a detailed report of their work experience. This report will be subsequently published in the WARA/WARC newsletters. Please direct inquiries and submit all relevant materials (one original and three copies) to:

WARA
African Studies Center
Boston University
270 Bay State Road
Boston, MA 02215

Telephone: 617-353-8902
Fax: 617-353-4975
email: wara@bu.edu
website: http://polyglot.lss.wisc.edu/afrst/wara.html