After completing the first Young Humanitarians Internship Programme (YHIP) in Peru, the team from the Latin America and Caribbean Regional Center reflect on the relevance and impact of such initiatives in the region, and the world at large. 

In 2024 alone, 339 million people were in need of humanitarian assistance, including 38.9 million in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), with 15.9 million affected by the crisis in Venezuela (Global Humanitarian Overview 2024). In Peru, the refugee and migrant crisis has exacerbated humanitarian needs, with more than 1 million people requiring assistance. The global and regional context underscores the need for a locally prepared and led humanitarian sector; although organisations face challenges such as fragmented contexts, gaps in the recruitment of committed staff, and limited resources. 

Immersed in this context, YHIP was established to train a new generation of future humanitarian leaders, through the strengthening of theoretical concepts, knowledge, as well as practical experience of fieldwork. The idea behind the programme is to equip young professionals with the necessary tools to respond effectively to crises in their own communities and strengthen local leadership in conjunction with civil society organisations.  

Mercedes García, Regional Lead Latin America and Caribbean believes that “involving youth in humanitarian action is critical as they are powerful agents of change and will become future leaders in different sectors.

She adds that, “In Latin America, humanitarian work is not fully embedded in university curriculum; so bringing this kind of internship provides with a clear opportunity to entrench upcoming students within the humanitarian system and also provides a clear educational opportunity.” 

An Innovative Solution

The Humanitarian Leadership Academy created YHIP as an innovative solution to address the sector´s challenges, specifically relevant at local and community levels.  

For Luis Romero, Humanitarian Manager Save the Children (SC) Peru, YHIP allowed the organisation to look at the humanitarian structure in a new and different way, consolidating the humanitarian perspective and decentralizing the response, focusing on local populations. Luis said, “In my 12-13 years working in Peru, we have not had this kind of program before, which introduces a new humanitarian perspective”. 

In Peru, eight young professionals were trained on humanitarian themes and topics, based on three carefully crafted pillars to help build a sustainable network of national and local humanitarian leaders, promoting a more inclusive and resilient global humanitarian ecosystem. The three pillars are: 

1) Academic,

2) On-the-job-training, and

3) Mentoring. 

Gesele Díaz, an intern in the City of Lima, Peru, reflects: “This is my first internship in the humanitarian sector and it truly has been very rewarding and motivating. This programme has trained us on different topics, such as safeguarding rules and regulations, which I didn´t know existed before. The whole experience has motivated me to continue in this line of work, exploring how I can contribute with my background as a social worker, and improving my intervention and vision in the future.” 

The interns’ diverse backgrounds – from psychologist, registered nurses, international relations majors to media communication specialists, social works and anthropologists – were a true asset for the five local organisations hosting them during the course of 12 weeks. All participating organisations: Propurús, Action for Children, DAS, Descocentro and Save the Children Peru; had the freedom to recruit and select the profiles that best fit their needs at the time, and thus the impact of the intern´s work was amplified. 

Ana María Marquez from Action for Children, shared that “incorporating students and young professionals has been a key element in producing professionals committed to children’s rights in our country. These experiences enrich and generate a critical mass of professionals dedicated to children, which is crucial for sustainable development and emergency response in the region.”

Without a doubt, the programme has had a profound impact on local organisations, and it has a potential to impact the wider regional humanitarian sector, by improving operational capacity, fostering an empathetic and collaborative approach, and training a new generation of professionals committed to the humanitarian work. 

“After implementing this pilot initiative, we expect to scale our learnings to HLA´s global strategy around working with youth in humanitarian initiatives, fund and implement this strategy within different approaches and target groups, such as work around localisation, migrant and displaced populations looking for durable solutions, and, presenting this as an employability solution”, reflects Mercedes García. 

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HLA launches Humanitarian Youth Internship Programme in Latin America and Caribbean

Preparados para el futuro: Practicantes Profesionales del Programa de Jóvenes Humanitarios de HLA en Perú comparten sus experiencias 🎧

The Young Humanitarians programme is a 12-week internship initiative, designed by the HLA with support of Save the Children Peru, to improve localisation in humanitarian response efforts, while building a sustainable network of young leaders equipped to meet the challenges of today and tomorrow.  

From the beginning of October 2024, 8 Peruvian young professionals from varying fields of study were placed in 4 local civil society organisations, as well as in Save the Children Peru.

Mercedes Garcia, HLA Lead in Latin America and Caribbean shared her enthusiasm for this initiative, she said:

“The Young Humanitarian Program is a new experience for HLA in Latin America and Caribbean (LAC) that seeks to strengthen the capacities of both young professionals and local organisations.

Through the initiative we provide a capacity building programme to strengthen humanitarian knowledge with the support of experts that connect with the values of the current generations; showing how the humanitarian sector is a high demand career option today and requires new professionals who bring their energy, creativity, connection with technology and desire to contribute to their territories.

This career offers opportunities for a diversity of roles in which they can develop their knowledge and skills, and on the other hand, make significant impact on people’s lives. In addition, this programme strengthens local organisations by placing practitioners in on-going humanitarian programmes boosting the quality of delivery.”

Elka Baldeon, Executive Director of DAS Peru – one of the organisations hosting interns, added that:

“Through the implementation of the Young Humanitarian Internship Program, DAS has intensified its commitment to improving access to health and nutrition services for the native communities of Ucayali, while promoting the training of young people in the region to become humanitarian leaders with a transversal and intercultural perspective, especially in emergency contexts.

This approach not only raises the quality of life of indigenous communities in the present, but also lays the foundations for a more resilient and self-sufficient future. Promoting sustainable development and well-being, this project guarantees special attention to the protection and training of children and adolescents, preparing them to lead and sustain the progress of their communities for future generations.

Thanks to Save The Children and the Humanitarian Leadership Academy, together we are transforming lives in communities living in the Amazon Rainforest.”

“Already an impactful initiative”

Daniel Flores, Head of the Junin Territorial Operational Unit at Descocentro – another organisation hosting interns, added that the programme is already of great value to his organisation:

“Having professional interns like Muriel Muñoz, in the area of ​​communication, has strengthened our capabilities in the management of institutional communication. Her work in strategic content planning, as well as in the creation and management of digital campaigns for social networks, is having a significant impact. Thanks to her support, we have managed to increase our visibility and improve interaction with communities and strategic allies, which allows us to more effectively position the projects we are developing.

In the case of the young professional Smith Espíritu, who is a psychologist, he is implementing a comprehensive intervention approach through the implementation of Parent Schools, where he promotes positive discipline and provides families with tools to improve their relationship with children and adolescents.

His work focuses especially on preventing school dropouts, carrying out personalised psychosocial assessments that identify risk factors in families, and develop action plans to support minors in vulnerable situations. This intervention is being carried out in communities in Huancayo and Jauja, and we are already seeing positive results in improving parental engagement and in the academic performance of their children.

For Descocentro, this internship program is key to strengthening our commitment to safeguarding, child protection and risk management policies in emergency situations, ensuring the well-being of both our team and the beneficiaries of our programmes. We are convinced that working together with these young humanitarians strengthens our ability to generate a positive impact in the communities where we operate.”

By investing in local youth, Save the Children is ensuring that its humanitarian interventions are not only more effective, but also more sustainable, ultimately leading to stronger and more resilient communities.

Alexandra Egas, one of the 8 young interns, mentioned that the Young Humanitarians programme gave her the opportunity to get closer to humanitarian work, experiencing first-hand the work of organisations like Save the Children.

She said: “So far, the programme has been an enriching and inspiring experience. Each training course, field work, and mentoring session has helped me understand how much care and effort is required for a humanitarian project to be truly effective without causing harm to the communities.

By completing this internship, I hope to acquire the knowledge and tools necessary to start a career in the humanitarian field, and to have a clearer vision of the topics in which I would like to specialize to be able to contribute with my skills to the well-being of the most vulnerable communities in Peru.”

The Humanitarian Leadership Academy is proud to create and manage this programme along with supportive partners as part of a wider strategy to strengthen youth leadership, and at the same time, achieve positive impact in the strengthening of local organisations.

About HLA’s Young Humanitarian Internship Programme (YHIP)

The Young Humanitarian Internship Programme (YHIP) for youth aged 18–29 aims to contribute to a more inclusive, resilient, and youth-led global humanitarian ecosystem by 2030. It has been designed to actively engage youth in crisis-affected countries, equipping them with the skills, knowledge, and practical experience necessary to be instrumental in humanitarian response.

The goal of the programme is to develop a global network of young humanitarian leaders who actively participate in decision making processes, shape public policy, and lead localised humanitarian responses.