Communications Intern (Kigali, Rwanda) – VIA Foundation

Location: Kigali, Rwanda

Contract Type: Internship (6 months, paid)

Start Date: November 1, 2026

Work Authorization: This position requires regular in-person work from VIA Foundation’s office in Kigali, Rwanda, alongside staff at VIA Foundation and its core partner WRI Africa. Existing work authorization in Rwanda is required. VIA Foundation cannot sponsor a work visa.

About Vumbuzi Impact Africa (VIA) Foundation

VIA Foundation is a recently founded financial intermediary organization dedicated to supporting the acceleration and scale-up of ecosystem restoration efforts across member countries of the African Forest Landscape Restoration Initiative (AFR100). The mission of VIA Foundation is to provide innovative financial solutions and strategic support to restoration champions, the local organizations that mobilize communities to restore degraded land.

As a trusted and up-and-coming intermediary, VIA Foundation intends to mobilize resources, foster partnerships, and drive the implementation of sustainable landscape restoration projects. Its goal is to enhance ecosystem resilience, empower local communities, and contribute to global climate goals. With its growing team and partnerships with leading institutions, VIA Foundation aims to create a legacy of restored landscapes that thrive both ecologically and economically, ensuring a sustainable future for generations to come.

VIA Foundation is a partner of TerraFund, a financing consortium that currently funds, trains, and monitors 200+ restoration projects across Africa. TerraFund focuses on deploying grants, low-interest loans, and equity finance to organizations in three key landscapes: the Lake Kivu & Rusizi River Basin (in Burundi, DRC, and Rwanda), the Greater Rift Valley of Kenya, and the Ghana Cocoa Belt. 

These portfolios are managed through the World Resources Institute’s TerraMatch platform, an end-to-end system that hosts open calls for proposals, connects champions with technical assistance, and tracks the progress of funded projects through a standard monitoring, reporting, and verification (MRV) protocol. With this data, VIA Foundation is building new partnerships that catalyze finance for restoration outcomes.

Internship Highlight:

VIA Foundation seeks a Communications Intern to help tell the story of locally led restoration across Africa. Working from the Kigali office, you will help build the foundation’s young public voice producing content for its website and LinkedIn, capturing stories from the restoration champions it finances, and assembling the communications materials that support its partnerships and fundraising.

This is a hands-on learning role designed for a recent university graduate who writes well, is curious about restoration and climate finance, and wants to build a professional portfolio. You will be expected to draft, design, publish materials, and take ownership of the pieces assigned to you.

You will report to the Grants & Finance Specialist and work closely with VIA Foundation’s Project Managers, its Field Coordinators in Rwanda, Kenya, and Ghana, and communications colleagues at VIA Foundation’s technical partner WRI Africa. Over six months, you will see how an emerging pan-African institution positions itself with funders, governments, and the communities restoring degraded land.

Key Responsibilities:

Content Creation (50%)

  • Draft and edit short-form content champion profiles, field stories, blog posts, newsletter copy, event recaps, and captions in clear, accessible English.
  • Work with Project Managers and Field Coordinators to gather photographs, quotes, and stories from restoration sites and nurseries through both the TerraMatch platform and turn them into publishable material.
  • Build simple visual assets — social graphics, slide templates, one-pagers, and carousels — using Canva or similar tools, in line with VIA Foundation’s brand guidelines.
  • Maintain an organized library of photos, videos, logos, consent forms, and approved messaging so that materials can be reused quickly and correctly.
  • Support the drafting of communications products that strengthen fundraising and donor engagement, such as impact snapshots, portfolio highlights, and annual report sections.
  • Support the preparation of materials for external forums where VIA Foundation is represented.

Digital Channel Management (50%)

  • Maintain and update content on via-foundation.org, including news items, partner pages, and vacancy postings.
  • Prepare, schedule, and publish posts across VIA Foundation’s LinkedIn and monitor comments and messages for follow-up.
  • Build a mailing list of VIA Foundation’s partners through which to share news and updates.
  • Maintain the communications calendar, tracking upcoming publications, events, campaign moments, and portfolio milestones.
  • Compile monthly analytics on website traffic and social media performance, and flag what is working and what is not.

What you will learn:

  • How a financial intermediary communicates restoration finance to funders, governments, and local organizations.
  • Practical digital communications skills: content management systems, social publishing and analytics tools, and basic design and multimedia editing.
  • How to mine online reporting systems to tell stories from the field.
  • A portfolio of published work — written pieces, visual assets, and campaign materials — that you can carry into your next role.

What you will need:

  • Education: A completed bachelor’s degree in communications, journalism, public relations, marketing, international development, environmental studies, or a related field. Recent graduates are encouraged to apply.
  • Experience:
  1. Up to 2 years of experience — including internships, student media, volunteer work, or freelance assignments — in communications, content creation, or digital media.
  2. Excellent written English, with a demonstrated ability to turn complex or technical material into clear, engaging copy. A portfolio, writing samples, or links to published work are required.
  3. Familiarity with major social media platforms and how organizations use them, including basic content planning and audience engagement.
  4. Working knowledge of design and editing tools such as Canva, Adobe Creative Suite, or CapCut; comfort with photography or short-form video is an advantage.
  5. Basic experience with website content management, e.g., Drupal, and with social media or web analytics is an advantage.
  6. Strong organizational skills and the ability to manage several assignments against deadlines in a small, fast-moving team.
  7. Demonstrated interest in ecosystem restoration, climate, agriculture, or sustainable development.
  8. Comfort receiving and acting on editorial feedback across multiple rounds of revision.
  • Languages: You will be proficient in written and spoken English and fluent in Kinyarwanda. Additional fluency in French and/or Swahili is an asset.
  • Requirements: You must have an existing right to work in Rwanda and be able to work in person from VIA Foundation’s Kigali office.
  • Travel: Willingness to travel occasionally to restoration sites in Rwanda to gather stories and content.

Internship Terms:

  • This is a full-time, six-month paid internship based in Kigali, Rwanda.
  • The intern will receive a monthly stipend in RWF.
  • The intern will receive regular supervision, feedback, and mentoring, and will have access to learning opportunities across VIA Foundation and its partner network.

How to apply?

To apply, please submit your application to info@via-foundation.org  and include the following attachments:

  • A 1-page CV that includes your experience, name, email, phone number, and address.
  • A 1-page cover letter specifying why you are an excellent fit for the internship.
  • Two short writing samples, or links to a portfolio of communications work (published articles, social campaigns, videos, or design pieces).
  • Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

Applications are due by 23:59 CAT on October 10, 2026. Late applications will not be considered. 

Note on Equal Opportunity

VIA Foundation is committed to building a diverse and inclusive team that reflects the communities it serves. We encourage applications from women, youth, and members of underrepresented groups.