We partner with a huge range of inspiring local NGO’s and NPO’s in Cape Town that benefit hugely from the assistance of passionate and enthusiastic interns. Our NGO and NPO internships provide you with the opportunity to work on incredibly meaningful projects and make an important impact in the lives of some of the most desperately in need people and animals in South Africa.
Are you an ambitious NPO and NGO student ready to turbo-charge your career? Set yourself apart from your peers with our value-packed NPO and NGO internship programmes.
We pride ourselves on delivering customised internship placements and on the ground support that offer life-changing, valuable professional experiences.
We collaborate with over 200 local NGO and NPO’s in Cape Town in need of assistance from passionate interns who want to discover more about South Africa, learn about themselves and make a difference in local communities.
Our internships provide you with the opportunity to gain international work experience in the operations and administration of an inspirational NGO.
As an intern you could assist with managing donations, arranging fundraising events, conducting fieldwork, managing relationships with local communities, implementing policy changes, managing social media channels, facilitating community based projects, creating newsletters, managing corporate partners and assisting with operations.
We partner with a wide range of NGO’s focused on; the promotion of women’s rights, anti-trafficking, refugee rights, HIV/AIDS prevention, youth development, social work, equal education, economic development, sustainable development, wildlife rehabilitation and protection, social justice and improved healthcare.
Read on for a full overview of the best NPO and NGO internships in Africa
Here's what you can expect from the programme in a nutshell!
Of course, the list is much longer - but these are the skills our intern alumni reported back that they grew in the most!
We managed to grab some detailed interviews from previous interns on this programme, you can click on them below.
Bridging Gaps has got the social and internship sides down to a T. So, I would highly recommend it!
What might your programme in this career field look like? Here's how it has typically shaped up for our alumni!
Arrival & orientation. Introduction to Cape Town, your accommodation and your internship host organisation and colleagues.
Get stuck into your NPO or NGO internship placement and establish yourself with your organisation. Come to our free social events
Enjoy a great work-life balance, getting out and about to see the sites alongside working hard on your internship.
Pick up more responsibility in your internship as you prove your capability. Enjoy regular activities in Cape Town outside of work. Come to another social!
Now you’re flying (metaphorically) at work, you’ll be more and more autonomous. Expect to pick up even more challenges!
Internship is going swimmingly, now go and do something crazy like swimming with some great white sharks or abseiling off of a mountain.
Regularly enjoy the benefits of Cape Town and at work, gather materials needed for portfolio (e.g. references from us and provider).
Putting the finishing touches to your internship and gathering feedback from us and your internship provider for use in your academic / career portfolio. Finalise paperwork (if needed) and debrief.
Here's what others said when they applied. Some of these people came just for this career area, some mixed it with other career fields too...
What makes our internship programmes a worthwhile investment? Here's a swift overview of what you can expect!
We have two primary programmes to suit your needs. In some instances we also offer virtual placements.
You can come for as long as you need without paying any extra fees.You'll receive the same level of support.
We are 100% on your side. We guarantee every aspect of your trip with unrivalled promises.
Need to focus on a precise niche or two? No problem! Your programme can focus on your specialist areas.
We'll help you engage with the culture and personal benefits of being in a foreign country.
Save on travel and accommodation costs, pay a far lower fee. All while building your professional network.
We will handle all aspects of academic accreditation, including direct liaison with your tutors and academic staff.
We will write full reference letters for your placement(s) to optimise future employers' first impression of you.
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Here are some current or recent internship job opportunities in this career area. We do not publish all openings - so please contact us to hear about others.
Get in touch.
We have worked very hard to streamline our process to make your experience easy, fun and highly rewarding personally and professionally. Flick through the steps below, or read about our process in more detail.
Getting your dream internship all starts with you saying hello! Just pop your details into our enquiry form and we'll reach out to schedule a conversation with you that we call a 'discovery call'.
In your discovery call, you can ask us any questions you still have. We'll talk about your options in the career fields you've told us you're interested in to help you imagine your placement and decide if our service is right for you.
If everything sounds good to you, complete your application to put into words your dream programme. This forms the basis of the 'design' of your customised placement and will be the primary framework against which we validate potentially suitable opportunities.
We maintain a large and varied network of the best organisations in Cape Town. We will identify the best potential fits for your programme goals and preferences and reach out on your behalf to assess those organisations for suitability (learn about their current projects and initiatives).
Once you've confirmed which placement offer you prefer, we'll start helping you plan the rest of your trip. We'll book your accommodation, help with your travel arrangements and provide extensive advice and information on how to get ready for your time in Cape Town. Your Bridging Gaps mentor will be on hand to make sure you're fully prepared for your placement.
Finally, every member of our team will move mountains to make sure you get what you came for and MORE! It's essential to us that you're safe, you're learning and growing in confidence and developing the most important skills for your future career.
Our programme fees are shown below, for a full description of our service offering please click to view the programme or a side-to-side comparison.
Comprehensive support
Visa & travel assist
Accommodation assistance
Social events & excursions
... and lots more
We've answered some specific questions about this internship programme below.
In South Africa, there is a great demand for volunteers of all types, especially those in the social work and youth development sector. As many government and nonprofit programs are underfunded, they lack the staff and material resources they so desperately require.
South Africa is among one of the top countries for an NGO internship. This is due to our complex history and human rights development, as well as the large variety of nonprofit focuses and community needs. Other countries that offer excellent opportunities could be in sub-Saharan Africa and other locations.
Interning at an NGO or NPO is a wonderful way to launch your career in the non-profit sphere. As many nonprofit organisations rely on the work of volunteers and interns, there is generally a need to fill these positions. Often, due to the heavy workload experienced by staff members of these organisations, intern placements are organised by third party companies like Bridging Gaps, to help them source the best candidates to fill their vacant positions.
Research internships often entail a lot of independent work, although asking questions, being proactive, and making the most of your resources are key to a successful research internship. Medical internships or those in the field of biology are often heavily focused on research and interns will either be asked to complete their own project or contribute to ongoing research. These types of internships will also involve laboratory work. Research is also often integral to internships in human rights, law and public policy.
Absolutely not! All the local companies we work with provide excellent support and guidance for their interns and you will be working alongside a team of experienced professionals.
We collaborate with a wide range of human rights organisations and NGO's here in Cape Town that focus on the promotion of women's rights, equal access to education, HIV/AIDS prevents and education, anti-trafficking, refugee rights, youth development, LGBT rights, improved healthcare, social justice and economic development.
Send it to us below and we will answer ASAP.
Hi, we're really sorry but we are no longer offering internship opportunities in this career field. However, we wish you the best with your search.