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.
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.
[YHIP] is a key element in producing professionals committed to children’s rights in our country…which is crucial for sustainable development and emergency response in the region.”
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.
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.”
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HLA launches Humanitarian Youth Internship Programme in Latin America and Caribbean
