Africa Birches Peacebuilding Fellow

The American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) is a Quaker organization with over 100 years of experience building peace in communities worldwide. Founded during World War I by Quakers who aimed to serve both humanity and country while being faithful to their commitment to nonviolence, AFSC has worked throughout the world in conflict zones, in areas affected by natural disasters, and in oppressed communities to address the root causes of war and violence.  AFSC and the British Friends Service Council received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1947 for their efforts in helping to feed and rebuild Europe after the devastation of two world wars.   

The Birches Peacebuilding Fellow will work closely with the International Program staff to provide programmatic, administrative, and organizational support to further the peacebuilding goals articulated in AFSC’s strategic plan. This includes core support for AFSC’s Just Peace thematic work, and possible support for the Global Civic Space Initiative and global peacebuilding convening through the Dialogue and Exchange Program (DEP).

The Just Peace goals include a vision for high-impact peacebuilding, to change the narrative around militarism and violence, the development and popular acceptance of alternatives to violence, influencing key decision‐makers and non‐traditional allies globally to choose peaceful transformation of conflict, protecting civic rights, amplifying civil society, and building social cohesion.

SUMMARY OF PRINCIPAL RESPONSIBILITIES  

The Birches Fellow will be based within the Salama Hub, a research and advocacy program that is designed to strengthen the capacity of civil society organizations (CSO) and faith-based organizations (FBOs) in the Horn of Africa and East Africa. The key peace issue in the region is the ongoing conflict and instability stemming from complex ethnic and political tensions, often fuelled by border disputes, weak governance, and external interference, with recent major conflicts like the Tigray War in Ethiopia being a primary example. This instability frequently leads to humanitarian crises including famine and displacement of populations. Other issues include the civil conflict in Sudan, to militia and Islamist militant activity in Kenya, to the al-Shabaab insurgency in Somalia.

The Salama Hub trains and strengthens organizations to take leadership on peace issues, conducts research and supports African research critical for advocacy, and organizes advocacy delegations in Africa, U.S., and Europe. In particular, the Birches Fellow will help elevate the voices of African peace and faith leaders to governments to speak about non-violent approaches to instability. This includes analyzing conflict situations, documenting and reporting on human rights violations, and opening spaces for dialogue with regional and international policymakers at fora like the African Union (AU), the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), and the United Nations.

The Birches Fellow may be based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia or Nairobi, Kenya.

Specifically, the Fellow will help build and strengthen the network of peace leaders by working with 50 African organizations that will come together and share ideas and recommendations about conflict prevention and resolution. These recommendations will be organized on a shared platform. As part of this effort, the Fellow will be learning about regional advocacy, conflict analysis tools, documentation of human rights violations, and research on hate speech so that the curriculum is well-informed by best practices of African peacebuilding leaders. The Fellow will coordinate the training of leaders from civil society and faith-based organizations and support the development of curriculum and training tools. This will help ensure that critical conflict issues are addressed, and the Fellow will partner with the network of peacebuilding leaders to deliver policy solutions in Africa and beyond to the United States (Washington, D.C. and New York) and Europe.

FELLOW LEARNING GOALS  

The Fellow will gain capacity in the following areas:  

• Enhance skills for developing tools and research that produce high quality, actionable and shareable information.  
• Learn essential skills for operationalizing strategic goals in a nonprofit program management context.  
• Develop an understanding of the challenges and opportunities present in designing effective peace and civic rights programs for the transformation of systems of oppression around the world.  
• Drafting and finalizing professional reports and presentations.
• Qualitative and quantitative data collection, analysis, and presentation.
• Program approaches in peacebuilding thematic areas: migration, political and organized violence, business and peace, election violence prevention, and overall approach on changing the narrative on militarism.
• Cross-cultural communications with staff.
• International non-profit program management and culture.  
• Innovative international peacebuilding initiatives and strategies.  

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

Recently graduated college or university students (by June 2025), preferably from the U.S., will be prioritized for this fellowship. Other recent graduated B.A. or M.A. students also will be considered. In a cover letter (2 pages maximum), please specify your background and interest, preferred country, language skills, and what kind of projects you are interested in undertaking with AFSC and partners. Resumes will be reviewed on a rolling basis through March 3, 2025.

EXPERIENCE:

1. Strong reading, writing, and analytical abilities.
2. College Degree in Peacebuilding, International Relations or equivalent field. Competitive GPA required.
3. Strong research skills and the ability to distil key points/themes out of large amounts of information.
4. Strong skills using Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and web-based platforms.  
5. Ability to work both independently and in a team.  
6. Excellent oral and written English language skills, including the ability to clearly document work and write reports.   
7. Ability to prioritize workload and yet remain flexible to shifting needs.  
8. Strong attention to detail.  
9. Understanding of and commitment to the principles, concerns, and considerations, of AFSC in regard to issues of race, class, nationality, religion, age, gender and sexual orientation, and disabilities.    
10. Demonstrated ability to work and communication with diverse staff and demonstrated cultural sensitivity.

OTHER REQUIRED SKILLS AND ABILITIES:

1. Fluency in one other United Nations language desirable. Preference for candidate with language skills in country of placement. 
2. Familiarity with qualitative and quantitative research and analysis a plus.  
3. International non-profit experience a plus. Experience living and working in the Global South.   
4. Experience in designing or facilitating trainings (in person or online) a plus.  
5. Ability to prioritize workload and adapt easily to changing situations and priorities.  
6. Commitment to Quaker values and testimonies.  Understanding of and compatibility with the principles and philosophy of the American Friends Service Committee including non-violence and the belief in the intrinsic worth of every individual.

Compensation: $28,000 stipend to cover salary and housing expenses plus medical benefits.   There are no life insurance benefits, short-term or long-term insurance benefits with this position. AFSC does participate in unemployment, worker’s compensation, and social security. 

The American Friends Service Committee is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer. Qualified persons are encouraged to apply regardless of their religious affiliation, race, age, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation or disability.

AFSC’s Central Office and some of its offices in the U.S. are unionized workplaces. This position is not represented.

The American Friends Service Committee is a smoke-free workplace.