Description:

Women Thrive Worldwide (formerly Women’s Edge Coalition) develops, shapes, and advocates for U.S. policies that foster economic opportunity for women living in poverty around the world. We focus on making U.S. international assistance and trade programs prioritize women. We bring together a diverse coalition of over 50 organizations and 25,000 individuals united in the belief that women are the key to ending global poverty, and empowering them is not only right, it’s also the most effective long-term solution to world poverty.

Women Thrive Worldwide has researched and developed several initiatives including the Trade Impact Review, the Global Resources and Opportunities for Women to Thrive (GROWTH) Act, the International Violence Against Women Act (I-VAWA) and the Women, Faith and Development Alliance.

Women Thrive Worldwide's Policy and Government Affairs Department, which includes the Global Development and Global Trade programs, works to ensure that the benefits of U.S. international policies reach both women and men in developing countries. We do this by raising awareness about women's roles in development and in their economies among policymakers in Congress and in the Administration; with others in the development community; and with the general public. Women Thrive Worldwide actively works to increase, monitor and provide accountability on the U.S.'s investment in international assistance programs, especially programs that invest in women and girls, and particularly through indigenous women's organizations abroad. Our goal is to ensure that U.S. international assistance and trade policies create opportunities for women so that their potential is fully tapped for reducing poverty and helping countries develop economically.

The Global Trade program seeks an enthusiastic intern for fall 2008. Specific duties of the Global Trade intern include:

• Researching and drafting advocacy materials on gender, women’s poverty, and women’s empowerment in international trade
• Organizing Women Thrive Worldwide's members for meetings with Congress
• Organizing and attending coalition meetings for various initiatives
• Tracking current legislation
• Helping with small administrative tasks, as needed

Current projects that interns may be involved in include:

Preferences and Market Access: Women Thrive Worldwide works to extend current U.S. preference programs which allow many of the world’s poorest countries to ship certain products to the United States duty-free. This results in more money remaining in these developing countries, leading to more domestic investment, job creation and growth in many sectors in which women are employed. Although existing preferences have provided some benefits for women in poor countries, to ensure that trade results in sustainable economic development, gender and poverty reduction must be fully integrated into U.S. preference programs. Therefore, Women Thrive focuses on expanding and improving preferences to least developed countries, particularly in sectors that are largely populated by women, such as agriculture, handicrafts and textiles, while providing permanent benefits to encourage long-term investment and sustainable growth.

Trade Capacity Building: Women Thrive Worldwide aims to crucially link gender-integrated trade capacity building assistance to preference agreements so that both women and men are best able to utilize the programs and access the benefits of trade. Women Thrive is working to ensure that existing and new trade capacity building assistance includes a long-term strategy for integrating gender into its design, implementation and monitoring, as well as to advocate for increased funding for trade capacity programs directly focused on women.

Foreign Aid Reform: Women Thrive Worldwide is working collaboratively with the NGO community and Congress to ensure efforts to modernize U.S. foreign assistance incorporate strategies to meet women’s needs and priorities.

Activities for all initiatives will include research on relevant issues, attending external and internal meetings, drafting campaign materials, reaching out to congressional offices and the new Administration, and coordinating with Thrive coalition partners.

All of the Women Thrive Worldwide's internships require:

• Superior oral and written communication skills and excellent research skills
• Strong interest in international development economics and/or political organizing for international women's issues
• Enthusiastic and self-motivated work style with high level of attention to detail
• Interest and/or course work in international economics, development and women's issues
• Excellent computer skills, particularly Microsoft Word, Excel and database management
• Experience with or good knowledge of Congress a plus

Time Commitment: Minimum 20 hours per week starting early September through mid December 2008.

Women Thrive Worldwide provides substantive internships. You will have a high degree of responsibility and very high level of involvement in the organization. This internship is unpaid. However, Women Thrive Worldwide will reimburse reasonable daily transportation costs.

To apply, please send:

• Cover letter
• Resume
• 2-3 page writing sample
• Contact information for 3 professional/academic references (including name of reference, organization, nature of relationship, email and phone number)

TO: Rori Kramer, Director, Global Trade Program, rkramer@womenthrive.org, or mail hard copy to: Women Thrive Worldwide, Attn: Rori Kramer, 1825 Connecticut Avenue, Suite 600 Washington DC 20009. No phone calls/fax please. Be sure to mention "Global Trade Program Internship" on the application. Only short-listed candidates will be contacted.

DEADLINE TO APPLY: Close of Business, Thursday, September 22, 2008.

Websites: http://www.womensedge.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=560&Itemid=38,

http://www.womensedge.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=blogsection&id=10&Itemid=38