African Union Youth Volunteer Corps (AU-YVC) 2016 (http://www.africa-youth.org/auyvc)

The African Union Youth Volunteer Corps (AU-YVC) is a continental development program that recruits and works with youth volunteers, to work in all 54 countries across the African Union.


Deciding to become an AU-YV is a life changing decision opening opportunities to serve in a community other than your own and assisting in the local development efforts. Africa needs countless skilled labor each year in all fields and professional sectors. Youth Volunteerism has contributed significantly to the development of most advanced economies and contributes a substantively to annual GDP. In Africa, Youth Volunteerism would not only contribute directly to the development of the continent, but is also a means of direct and meaningful youth participation and empowerment.

As a volunteer, apart from applying your skills and knowledge to solve everyday challenges, you would gain crucial international work experience and acquire a great deal of leadership and soft skills, develop your self reliance and acquire new professional skills.

Most of all however, you would gain a life changing experience of learning a new culture, experience a new lifestyle, and get to know a new African country and its people outside your own. This experience would guaranteed shape your life and remain in your memory for the rest of your life.


Are You Ready For The Challenge

Main Commitment

Your duties and responsibilities would mainly be to serve the community, organization or institution where you will be deployed. This will be in relation with your field of study or past experience. At present the main areas of focus for AU-YVC are: Education; Health and HIV/ AIDS; Peace and Security; Information and Communications Technology; Business and Youth Entrepreneurship; Agriculture and Environment.

During your deployment your overall objective shall remain to bring a lasting and sustainable impact and benefits to your host community/ organization and promote the spirit of volunteerism and values of service.

This would require you to demonstrate leadership, discipline and dedication throughout your service and especially during challenging and difficult times.


Young African Professionals are recruited to serve for a period of 12 months as AU Volunteers in an AU Member States other than their own.

Eligibility Criteria:

Applicants have to meet the following criteria:

1) Citizen of African Union Member State (All African countries except Morocco) or African Diaspora;
2) Aged between 18 and 33 years;
3) Have at least a post-secondary education certified training and qualifications, from the equivalent of a Bachelor’s degree
4) Available to dedicate 12 (twelve) months for volunteer work;
5) Willing to live and work in another AU Member State;
6) Be proficient in at least one official AU language (Arabic, English, French, Portuguese);
7) Have at least one year verifiable experience as a volunteer and or one year of regular work experience

Eligible Fields of Qualification For the next intake of AU Youth Volunteers, the following fields of qualification and experience are required:

• Accounting > Agricultural > Communication Studies > Computer Science > Conflict studies > Diverse Natural Science Fields > Economics > Education > Environmental Management > Gender Studies > Human Resources Management > Human rights – International Law > International relations > Journalism > Law > Political Science > Space Science > Statistics

• For the successful candidates, the African Union Commission will cover the full costs of their pre-deployment training, at a venue to be communicated.
• On deployment, the African Union Youth Volunteers receive the following:
• 1) Economy return air ticket from home town to place of deployment
• 2) A modest monthly stipend
• 3) Health insurance cover
• 4) Separation allowance on successful completion of twelve months

• Dr Beatrice Njenga (Head of Youth Division);
• Mr Daniel Adugna (AU-YVC program manager) at: youth@africa-union.org