Simuka Africa Team Briefing: July 31, 2026
Hello, All:
We hope you’ve had an amazing week! Please note the following:
The next Q3 Creative Career Focus Staff Meeting is scheduled for Saturday, 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.
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🚩 Humanitarian Crisis Notification 🚩
Be advised: Multiple regions continue to be impacted by the current geopolitical conflicts and natural disasters:
Our Simuka Africa Family also has volunteers and artists located in the following natural disaster regions: Spain, France, & Japan. We are currently reaching out to them to assess their status.
During July, The 34 Gallery has been contacted by a high number of individuals experiencing suicidal ideation. We strongly encourage you to like & comment on the artwork featured on our social media to support them through their struggles.
If you are impacted by any of these situations, update us as you can.
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Administrative Updates
The deadline for the August Social Media Calendar is today. We will accept late submissions through Monday. If you are unable to make this deadline, notify us.
Questions about assignments or protocol? Respond to this Briefing or email [email protected].
Q3 Advisory Note: Simuka Africa & The 34 Gallery receive up to 700 - 1000+ emails per month for our Open Calls, Publications, & SAYA Briefing. We ask that you speak kindly to our volunteer staff members regarding response times.
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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.
Graphic Design & Video: Graphics should be submitted in batches of 4, 8 or 12. Video must be 2 minutes or less.
Please Note: If you did not see your submission published in July, it will be scheduled on the August Publication Calendar. Contact us with any questions or concerns.
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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: Financial Debt and mental health
SDG 3: Gambling Addictions: types & interventions
SDG 3: Schizophrenia: types & treatments
SDG 4: Virtual and Augmented Reality in STEM Education
SDG 4: Hybrid Learning Models: Evaluating student engagement
SDG 13: Desertification: causes, effects & interventions
SDG 13: Flood resilience: causes, effects & interventions
UN:International Day for People of African Descent - Aug 31st
UN: International Day of Charity - September 5
UN: International Day of Clean Air - September 7
UN: International Literacy Day - September 8
UN: International Day of Peace - Sept. 21
UN: International Day of Sign Languages - Sept 23
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: Zimbabwe has been elected by the General Assembly to a non-permanent seat at the Security Council for 2027-2028.
The IntechOpen Books Programme strives to increase awareness and promote scientific research in support of the global United Nations Sustainable Development Goals programme. — (free books!)
IntechOpen is a member of the UN SDG Publishers Compact.
The UNESCO International Food Atlas is highlighted as a tool to promote biodiverse diets.
UNV: The CDLF Strategic Planning Workshop delivered by the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) - August 20
UNV: Online Interpersonal Conflict Management Workshop, a two-day interactive learning journey designed to help you understand, manage, and transform workplace conflict with confidence. — August 10 & 11
UNCTAD: Global Trade Update (July/August 2026): Global trade continues to expand amid rising price pressures
UNU-INWEH Report: The Environmental Cost of AI's Energy Use: Carbon, Water and Land Footprints.
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United Nations Employment
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Training: The UN Tourism Online Academy (Hospitality Careers)
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.
UN Careers - the primary UN career hub
UNJOBNET - daily job listings for the entire UN System
UNJOBNET: Remote Positions - daily updated UN remote work
OECD Careers site — Current Job Vacancies
Senior Policy Analyst – Center for Global Development Europe (London)
Senior Policy Manager – J-PAL Europe (Zurich)
OSCE Internship 2026–2027 — Vienna
The COP31 Evidence for Climate Action Program invites researchers, evaluators and practitioners to share published evidence on climate and environmental action that can inform global policy dialogue.
The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has launched the WMO 2027 Calendar Photography Competition, inviting photographers from around the world to submit images that showcase the relationship between weather, climate, water, and everyday life.
Associate Scientific Officer - The World Meteorological Organization (WMO)
Applications are open for the 2026–2027 World Ocean Day Youth Advisory Council, bringing together 20–25 young environmental leaders worldwide to advance ocean conservation, climate action, advocacy, and community impact.
UNDP Communication & Social Media Internship 2026 —— (Home-based)
UNDP Development Finance, Data Management and Economics Analysis Intern —— (Home-based)
UNDP Global Solutions Hub Intern — Geneve, 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:
Google: ATLAS (Activity, Task, Landscape, and Adoption Study) is the most comprehensive look to date at how real people are using AI at scale. ATLAS’s first dataset (v1.0) is built from 15 million de-identified human-AI interactions across the Gemini App, AI Mode, and the Gemini API, spanning more than 150 countries, 140 languages, 800 occupations, and 4,000 tasks. Read the report.
UN Global Mechanism on ICT Security begins building global capacity architecture.
“When AI Knows Everything, What Should Humans Learn?” —Kristina Kallas, TEDxUniversity of Tartu
A.I. & Tech Job Opportunities
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
LEGO Group Play Ideation Internship 2026
The AI Experience Centre at the Luxembourg House of Financial Technology (LHoFT) is inviting applications for interactive, implementation-ready AI demo solutions to be featured in its next showcase cycle, providing selected participants with six months of visibility among financial institutions, investors, regulators, and ecosystem partners.
The Ghana Revenue Authority Tax Innovation Challenge supports the creation of digital tools to enhance tax registration, compliance, and revenue mobilisation through innovative solutions.
The Risk-Based Prioritization of Critical Valves Using Limited Utility Data and Machine Learning project aims to improve critical valve management through data-driven risk assessment and machine learning.
Applications are open for the OpenAI Student Collective 2026–2027 Campus Lead Program, giving students the opportunity to help peers learn and build with ChatGPT, Codex, and other OpenAI tools.
The Innovate Africa Challenge 2026 (3rd Edition), organized by Smart Africa and FAO, is inviting startups, innovators, and solution developers from Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Rwanda, and Uganda to turn proven AI innovations into scalable, real-world solutions for African farmers.
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Opportunities
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Career Tip, I: How to Optimize Your Profile for LinkedIn's New AI Algorithm — HUBSPOT
Career Tip, II: “How you can learn in a world of information overload” — Tania Lombrozo | TEDxNewEngland
Career Tip, III: How to Survive a Toxic Workplace Without Losing Your Power or Sanity — Carla Harris
Policy Analyst-India Country Program, (Delhi-based)
Deputy Programme Manager for Climate Change and Green Economy Programme (India)
Kaiser Permanente Care Delivery Master's Internship 2026 (California)
Recording Academy Communications Internship (The GRAMMY Awards)
The AEIP Scholars Programme 2026–2027 is inviting young scholars from Africa and Europe to collaborate across continents, transform research into practical solutions, and strengthen Africa-Europe scientific partnerships.
The Girls on Campus Scholarship 2026–2027 is designed to support students from underrepresented backgrounds who are pursuing higher education and striving to create a positive impact in their communities. (US)
Applications are open for the ISC Innovator Award, which recognises individuals, organizations and collectives using contemporary sculpture to develop creative forms of social innovation and expand the ways sculpture can contribute to positive change.
SPIA offers small grants of up to $5,000 for PhD students, postdocs, and early-career researchers to study how CGIAR engages with stakeholders to inform national and regional policy, focusing on selected cases in Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Uganda, and Vietnam.
Applications are open for the Mid-Career Course FY2026, a professional development program for mid-level professionals in peacebuilding and development organized by Hiroshima University under Japan’s Program for Global Human Resource Development for Peacebuilding and Development.
Applications are open for the Multidisciplinary Mobility for a Climate Resilient Africa (MMoCRA) Scholarships 2026, an EU-funded academic mobility programme supporting Master’s and PhD students to pursue advanced study, research, and innovation focused on building a climate-resilient Africa.
The International Science Council (ISC) Civic Science Fellowship 2026 offers an 18-month fully funded remote fellowship to help strengthen how scientific evidence is communicated and used in global policymaking.
The TED-Ed Educator Talks Idea Workshop 2026 is a free virtual professional development workshop helping educators worldwide strengthen their public speaking, storytelling, and idea-development skills with guidance from TED-Ed.
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Food For Thought
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I. Self-Care Tip: “What your body knows before you do” — Sona Sherratt, TEDxHultAshridge
In closing, please note that establishing a professional self-care regime is also recommended during your time with us. Take some time within the next week to review these free tools:
Harvard Business School: “How to Build Psychological Safety in the Workplace”
PsychCentral: Burnout Test: Am I Burned Out?
Choosing Therapy: Free Self-Help Therapy Worksheets
This weekend, make time to assess your mental & physical well-being. ❤
— The Simuka Africa Team
May hope, peace & unity be with you.
