Simuka Africa Team Briefing: August 21, 2026
Hello, All:
We hope you have had a fantastic week! Please note the following:
The next Q3 Creative Career Focus Staff Meeting is scheduled for August 22nd on the HeyPeers platform. Register here.
Staff Open Call: SDG 3 & 13 Nature Photography — Any volunteers with outdoor photos showing the beauty of Zimbabwe or your local region, submit them! Let’s encourage the global community to use nature, photography, & exercise for mental health wellness. Deadline: August 31st.
34 Gallery Publicity Advisor Web Horizons is currently competing in the Timbaland x Orbiiit Global Talent Search 2026. Share your support by casting a free vote this weekend!
The Q3 volunteer service period ends on Oct. 1st. Remember to complete the Essential & Mandatory Courses on the UNV E-Campus by this date if you are volunteering with us through UN Volunteers.
Note: Simuka Africa Staff Members will attend World Water Week from Sunday, August 23rd - 27th. Thank you in advance for your patience with our response times.
Questions about assignments or protocol? Respond to this Briefing or email [email protected].
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The September Social Media Calendar
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The next deadline for assignments is August 30th.
Email all submissions to [email protected]. Check our website and social media for examples of what we publish.
Art Submissions: The 34 Gallery Open Call instructions are here.
Virtual Publications: Articles are 700 words minimum. Submissions can also include up to 4 graphics or artworks.
Graphic Design & Video: Graphics should be submitted in batches of 4, 8 or 12. Video must be 2 minutes or less.
Email us your selected topic first to reserve a spot on the publication calendar.
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Suggested Topic List
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Simuka Africa Volunteers have successfully attained employment, internships, Fellowships, and other positions based on their active publication history with us. Report summaries in particular provide an edge in the job interview process.
If you have time in your schedule to complete one of these, notify us with your selected topic by responding to this briefing or emailing us directly:
SDG 3: Learning how to say No: Practices for Assertiveness
SDG 3: Coping with the loss of social life after changing jobs or schools
SDG 4: Native trees of Zimbabwe and Eastern/Southern Africa
SDG 4: Native tribes of Zimbabwe: A history
SDG 4: Native Languages of Zimbabwe: A history
SDG 8: Career tips for after graduation (undergraduate & graduate)
SDG 8: Professional Speaking: Gaining Confidence
UNCCD Report Summary: Urban–Rural Linkages and Land: Introducing the Flows-to-Action Framework
IMF Report Summary: Unlocking the Potential: AI in Sub-Saharan Africa
Can’t make the deadline? Things happen. Just notify us so your task can be reassigned. However, be advised that Simuka Africa is unable to issue recommendation letters or UNV reports on your behalf without a record of submitted assignments during the quarter.
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The United Nations System: An Introduction
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Global Insights:
The UN & Zimbabwe: Youth Mental Health Champion: Tanatswa Chikaura, United Nations
World Bank Live Webinar: Unlocking Job Creation in Fragile Settings
Intro to CEPI, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, a global partnership working to accelerate the development of vaccines and other biologic countermeasures against epidemic and pandemic threats.
Intro to The UNCCD, the global voice for land promoting practices that avoid, reduce and reverse land degradation and are the driving force behind Sustainable Development Goal 15 and Land Degradation Neutrality.
The 17th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP17) to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) will be hosted by Mongolia in its capital city, Ulaanbaatar, from 17 to 28 August 2026 under the theme Restoring Land. Restoring Hope.
Intro to The World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), the leading community of global businesses making sustainability performance a key driver for competitiveness.
Intro to The Global Alliance of Green and Gender Action (GAGGA), which catalyzes climate funding at scale and distributes it directly into the hands of women-led organizations on the frontlines.
Intro to the Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative, which has developed 17 treatments for 6 deadly diseases, saving millions of lives.
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________________________________________ International Trainings assist your journey!
UNV Master Class: Lynnette Simpson, Nutrition Advisor and Senior Knowledge Management Officer at the World Bank Group, for an engaging and practical webinar designed to help you better understand your nutritional health and make realistic improvements.
UNV Masterclass: Building Influence Across Teams - Aug. 25th
UNV Masterclass: Negotiation Skills for Everyday Work - Sept. 8th
Training: The UN Tourism Online Academy (Hospitality Careers)
Training: The UNDP SDG Finance Academy is offering 16 free self-paced online courses designed for learners worldwide.
Training: The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) is offering 16 FREE online courses covering every aspect of intellectual property—from beginner to advanced level.
Training: The UN CC:Learn Open Online Course on Gender and Environment is now open for global learners.
Training: Women Leadership in Climate Action — Free global online course from UNITAR & C40 including a UN digital certificate.
Training: Global Youth Climate Training Programme 2026 — Free online training in climate policy and advocacy from the University of Oxford.
World Bank Online Courses: Access five free e-learning opportunities covering data, policy, agriculture and development.
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United Nations Employment
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UN Careers - the primary UN career hub
UNJOBNET - daily job listings for the entire UN System
UNJOBNET: Remote Positions - daily updated UN remote work
Women's World Banking Internships — Remote Fall 2026 internships in research and policy advocacy.
The World Health Organization invites students and young professionals aged 18 to 35 to submit creative videos promoting influenza and COVID-19 prevention and control.
World Bank: Program Assistant – E T Temporary – Vienna, Austria (Deadline: September 1).
World Bank: Infrastructure Finance Specialist – Washington, DC, US (Deadline: September 9).
World Bank: Operations Analyst – Seoul, Republic of Korea (Deadline: September 10).
The United Nations Chemicals and Waste Management Study Programme offers an exciting opportunity to gain practical knowledge of global chemicals and waste governance, learn from experts, connect with policymakers and professionals, and explore careers in international environmental governance. The programme is delivered by UNITAR in Geneva, Switzerland.
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A.I. Policy, News & Jobs
Our Simuka Africa A.I. Organizational Policy can be found here. It also includes direct links to the A.I. Tools most asked about in job interviews. Additional news:
AI News: Updates
World Economic Forum: How ASEAN is testing the concept of digital multilateralism
Diplo: AI as a silent park ranger
Cybersecurity: Cybersecurity Strategies as Enablers of Digital Transformation in Commercial Banks: Evidence from Zimbabwe
OpenAI: Pacing model development in an era of cyber-critical capabilities
Introduction to the vAI · Davidson AI Innovation Center:
Learning & Certification
A.I. & Tech Networking
The CTO Club — SaaS tech leadership resources
Stack Overflow — coding questions
GitHub Community - ode collaboration discussions
DEV Community — developer publishing
Hacker News — tech industry discourse
r/programming (Reddit) — broad programming discussions
freeCodeCamp — free coding education
Hashnode — developer blogging
IEEE Computer Society — computing research access
CodeNewbie — beginner coders
Science, A.I. & Tech Opportunities
Free GIZ Data Governance Certificate Courses — Build practical skills in data governance and Africa’s digital economy.
Data Annotation: Train AI as a Medical Expert
Data Annotation: Train AI as a Legal Expert
All Tech Is Human Job Board — Ethical AI Jobs
AI Safety Research Positions at HPI (Berlin)
Five Rings Summer Intern 2027 - Quantitative Trader Internship in New York with $300,000 annualized salary, sign-on bonus and corporate housing.
The Science, She Says! Award recognizes outstanding junior female scientists under 40 for their contributions to science and technology in five global regions.
The School of Social Science has launched its applications to support residential fellowships for junior and senior scholars in the social sciences and related disciplines.
The Faraday Discovery Fellowship Program has announced its applications to support the most talented mid-career research leaders to undertake high-quality original research.
Fast Forward is inviting tech nonprofit founders to apply for its Accelerator, a three-month program designed to help scale innovative technology-driven social impact organizations. Selected applicants will receive mentorship, peer support, and access to a powerful network to advance their mission.
The Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) Doctoral Networks 2026 call is open for international consortia seeking to develop doctoral programmes across all scientific fields.
AI Safety Policy Entrepreneurship Fellowship 2026–2027 — Receive a $5,000 stipend, policy training and hands-on experience in frontier AI governance.
Google DeepMind AI Safety & Policy Career Opportunity — Senior-level opportunity in frontier AI governance and policy.
CheckFirst Policy Internship — Remote digital policy internship for eligible EU-based applicants.
ERA Fellowship Winter 2027 — A fully funded 10-week AI safety and governance research programme in Cambridge, UK
Capital One Summer 2027 Internships — Technology and cybersecurity internship opportunities for students.
JIRCAS Visiting Research Fellowship 2026 — A fully funded research opportunity in Japan and Thailand for researchers from developing countries.
Constellations Fellowship Fall 2026 — Access 55 remote climate roles with a $1,000 completion stipend.
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Opportunities
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Career Tip, I: Chartered Accountant at 23: How Maud Chifamba Went From Rural Zimbabwe to Wall Street — Women Power Africa, LinkedIN
Career Tip, II: Teams Need Leadership, Not Leaders | Michael Morand | TEDxPrinceton
Dakota Roots Job Board — (South Dakota, US)
E4Impact I.N.S.P.I.R.E Project Internship 2026 — Industry internship and job placement opportunities for emerging professionals.
KAS-SAIIA Scholarships 2027 - Fully funded Master's scholarship + internship programme in South Africa for future leaders.
ESPN NEXT 2026–2027 - Early-career opportunities covering production, internships and leadership pathways at ESPN.
Kaiser Permanente Master's Internship 2026 — Paid healthcare operations internship in California for master's students.
The Royal Entomological Society invites non-professional photographers of all ages to submit insect-themed photographs to promote learning and engagement in entomology.
The EforAll Business Accelerator is a free 12-week online training program for aspiring and early-stage entrepreneurs and nonprofit founders in the United States.
The Asia in the World Fellowship Programme offers early- to mid-career researchers and knowledge professionals a nine-month residential fellowship to advance innovative research and global collaboration in Asian Studies.
The Creative Catalyst Fellowship provides individual artists with funding and support to create work that engages the public on issues facing Asian American and Pacific Islander communities.
The Indigenous Voices Case Writing Competition invites indigenous scholars worldwide to submit teaching case studies featuring indigenous protagonists or organisations for publication and recognition.
Career Development Grants is designed for women in the United States pursuing accredited certificate or training programs in fields where women are underrepresented.
The Kawamura Arts and Cultural Foundation is inviting applicants for the Socially Engaged Art Support Grant, which funds artists and art organizations implementing creative projects in Japan that address social issues through collaborative, community-based art practices.
The Kunstwerk Carlshütte Cultural Initiative invites applications to support one of the largest contemporary art exhibitions in Europe.
The University of Edinburgh Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program 2027/28 is offering fully funded postgraduate scholarships for African students, with opportunities to study on-campus in Edinburgh or online.
ITC SheTrades GRPP Policy Consultant 2026 — Home-based consultancy for experts in public policy, procurement and agriculture.
GEAF Ambassador Programme 2027 — A six-month global climate leadership journey with project funding.
WomenLift Health 2027 — Southern Africa Leadership Journey A fully funded leadership programme for women in health.
WWF Youth Conservation Leadership Award 2026–2027 — Win $5,000 to advance environmental and conservation leadership.
The ARES International Training Scholarships 2027–2028 support qualified graduates and working professionals from 32 eligible countries to undertake specialised bachelor's, master's and continuing education programmes in Belgium.
The Find Yourself Here Travel Fellowship 2026 offers selected participants an airfare stipend and two nights’ hotel accommodation to attend HGSE events in Cambridge, Massachusetts. (US)
The Swiss Government Excellence Scholarships 2027–2028 are now open.
BRAC is inviting applications for 7 internship opportunities across Human Resources, Executive Support, Microfinance, Climate, Technology, and Finance.
The African Union Enterprise Africa Network (EAN) Fellowship Programme Cohort 2 (2026/27) is accepting applications from eligible youth- and women-led enterprises across Africa.
CFR Fellowships 2027–2028 — Paid fellowship opportunities for foreign policy professionals, journalists, technologists and researchers
The Journalists in Residence Program is inviting applications to support journalists from around the world to deepen their understanding of the interaction between politics and the economy through a 12-week academic and professional experience in Chicago. (US)
The NYPL Cullman Center Fellowship 2027–2028 offers 15 outstanding Fellows a nine-month residential fellowship in New York City, with a $90,000 stipend and access to world-class research collections. (US)
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Food For Thought
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In closing, please note that establishing a professional self-care regime is also recommended during your time with us.
Review 21 Career Affirmations to ensure your professional success.
Select five that truly speak to your current circumstances.
Write these down & make them visible to you each day as a reminder.
This weekend, be proud of what you have already achieved on your journey!
— The Simuka Africa Team ❤
May hope, peace & unity be with you.
