Overview of the FemDigiNomics Internship Programme
The Africa Centre for Health Systems and Gender Justice has announced a call for interns under its FemDigiNomics Project, a multidisciplinary innovation initiative focused on advancing women’s economic empowerment through data, artificial intelligence, and gender-responsive research systems.
Based in Nairobi, Kenya, with possible engagement in informal settlements and partner sites, the internship programme runs for 3 to 6 months and reports to the FemDigiNomics Project Lead. The initiative sits at the intersection of gender justice, health systems strengthening, financial inclusion, and emerging digital technologies.
FemDigiNomics builds on the organisation’s existing HerEconomics platform, expanding its use of community-generated data, Swahili natural language processing (NLP), responsible AI systems, and participatory research methodologies to better understand and support women’s economic realities.
About FemDigiNomics and Its Development Focus
FemDigiNomics is designed as a women-centred data and intelligence platform that translates lived experiences into actionable insights and decision-support tools. It focuses on capturing and analysing women’s experiences across savings, debt, entrepreneurship, care work, health-related financial pressures, and digital access.
Key innovations under development include:
- Women’s Financial Inclusion and Lending Readiness Scorecard
- Community-generated data systems on women’s livelihoods
- AI-supported decision tools for economic empowerment
- Swahili NLP tools for analysing lived experience narratives
- Evidence systems linking health, gender, and economic outcomes
The broader goal is to strengthen financial inclusion, livelihood resilience, and health-informed economic empowerment for low-income women.
Available Internship Categories
The programme offers seven specialised internship tracks, each contributing to different aspects of the FemDigiNomics ecosystem.
Data and Research Internship
This role focuses on data collection, cleaning, analysis, and reporting across programme datasets.
Key responsibilities include:
- Collecting data from women participants and community groups
- Cleaning quantitative and qualitative datasets
- Supporting a 5,000-woman insights database
- Analysing income, savings, and livelihood patterns
- Preparing research briefs and dashboards
- Ensuring ethical data handling and anonymisation
Ideal candidates typically have backgrounds in:
- Statistics, economics, public health, gender studies, or data science
- Experience with tools such as Excel, R, Python, STATA, Power BI, or ODK
NLP and AI Internship
This track supports development of Swahili and English NLP systems for analysing women’s economic narratives.
Key responsibilities include:
- Collecting and annotating multilingual datasets
- Developing classification categories for financial behaviours
- Testing early NLP workflows and models
- Supporting ethical AI documentation and bias analysis
Ideal candidates should have:
- Background in computer science, AI, NLP, or computational linguistics
- Interest in African language technologies, especially Swahili
- Basic Python and machine learning familiarity
Responsible AI and Data Governance Internship
This role focuses on ethical frameworks for data use and AI development.
Responsibilities include:
- Developing informed consent systems
- Designing data privacy and anonymisation protocols
- Supporting governance documentation and policies
- Assessing risks related to bias and discrimination
- Ensuring compliance with data protection standards
Ideal candidates should have backgrounds in:
- Law, public policy, ethics, or information governance
- Strong interest in digital rights and responsible AI
Financial Inclusion and Partnerships Internship
This internship focuses on financial ecosystems and women’s economic empowerment pathways.
Key responsibilities:
- Mapping financial service providers and ecosystems
- Supporting partnerships with SACCOs, banks, fintechs, and women’s funds
- Developing referral pathways linked to financial scorecards
- Preparing partnership briefs and engagement documents
Ideal candidates typically come from:
- Economics, finance, business, or development studies
- Knowledge of microfinance and entrepreneurship ecosystems
Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Internship
This role supports impact measurement and programme learning systems.
Responsibilities include:
- Designing M&E frameworks
- Tracking outputs, outcomes, and indicators
- Maintaining dashboards and databases
- Producing learning briefs and impact reports
Ideal candidates should have:
- Background in M&E, statistics, public health, or social sciences
- Experience with Excel, SPSS, STATA, R, or Kobo tools
Community Engagement and Programme Internship
This role focuses on grassroots engagement and field implementation.
Key responsibilities:
- Working with women’s groups, chamas, and community networks
- Supporting mobilisation and training activities
- Documenting community feedback and experiences
- Organising user testing sessions
Ideal candidates should have:
- Background in community development or social work
- Fluency in English and Swahili (Sheng is an advantage)
- Experience working with grassroots communities
Product, Communications and Learning Internship
This role focuses on storytelling, documentation, and user engagement.
Responsibilities include:
- Translating technical concepts into accessible content
- Developing case studies and learning briefs
- Supporting platform user feedback processes
- Producing communication materials for stakeholders
Ideal candidates should have:
- Background in communications, journalism, or public policy
- Strong writing and storytelling skills
Cross-Cutting Requirements for All Interns
All applicants are expected to demonstrate:
- Strong interest in gender justice and women’s economic empowerment
- Respect for community knowledge and ethical data use
- Strong communication and documentation skills
- Fluency in English and Swahili
- Ability to work in multidisciplinary teams
- Commitment to learning and community-centred approaches
What Interns Will Gain
The internship programme provides hands-on exposure to emerging areas of development and technology, including:
- Community-driven AI and Swahili NLP systems
- Women’s financial inclusion and economic resilience
- Responsible AI and data governance frameworks
- Participatory research and grassroots engagement
- Translation of data into practical tools for social impact
Interns will also gain experience working at the intersection of gender justice, technology, health systems, and economic development.
Application Process and Deadline
Applicants must submit:
- Cover letter specifying the role applied for
- Updated CV
- Relevant sample work or portfolio (where applicable)
- Availability and preferred duration
Applications should be sent to:
[email protected] with copy to [email protected]
Subject line: FemDigiNomics Internship Application – [Role Applied For]
Deadline for applications: 15 August 2026
Organisational Profile
The Africa Centre for Health Systems and Gender Justice is a Pan-African organisation focused on advancing gender justice in health systems through inclusive financing, feminist leadership, and community-led care systems. Its work prioritises marginalised women and girls, aiming to strengthen economic power and decision-making capacity across African communities.
