HerStart International Fellowships

Contribute your skills and gain international volunteer experience while collaborating with women and global partners to drive social entrepreneurship and gender equality. 

Two women wearing turquoise smiling at the camera

Why an International Fellowship?

Underline detail

Experiences built for a better future

Underline detail

A HerStart Fellowship is a specialized experience for Canadians built around your diverse skills, knowledge and passions including:

Icon of an equal sign with a balance

Gender Equality

Support YCI and global partners to identify gendered barriers, design gender-responsive solutions and amplify women’s strengths. 

Icon of a spinning world

Climate Action

Join the team to raise awareness of environmental issues, design climate-responsive solutions and build a network of green businesses. 

Icon of a plant with a positive graph coming out of it

Social Entrepreneurship

Support the development of social entrepreneurs and the implementation of the HerStart Catalyst Fund, which provides financial grants and coaching for women-led social enterprises.    

Icon of a speech bubble with connection nodes

Communications

Use your creative skills to design and deliver innovative trainings and communication materials for the HerStart fellows, partners and women entrepreneurs.  

Icon of a magnifying glass looking at a plant

Monitoring & Evaluation

Apply your data collection, analysis and reporting skills to the critical topics of women’s empowerment, climate action and social entrepreneurship.

Icon of shaking hands

Program & Partnerships

Collaborate with staff, partners and fellows by flexing your project management, partnership development or volunteer engagement skill sets to deepen HerStart’s impact.

3-month fellowships

Looking to grow personally and professionally? Have you always wanted to volunteer abroad and gain global experience? A 3-month International Fellowship allows you to share your skill sets and support young women to become agents of social change – all while gaining new knowledge to enhance your future. 

6-month fellowships
Two women wearing black standing in front of a bicycle in Tanzania

Steps to Become an International Fellow

Underline detail

Hear from our network

Underline detail

An orange illustration of a woman
"The HerStart program allowed me to feel empowered while I was working to support the empowerment of other women. The program provided me the tools and opportunities to learn about many topics such as climate action, green entrepreneurship, social entrepreneurship and gender equality while giving me the space to create innovative products and solutions which would enhance the lives of women and their communities. I would recommend being involved with the HerStart program to build upon your personal and professional development while achieving a sense of fulfillment through giving back. This program also does a wonderful job in demonstrating Canada’s leadership and commitment towards international development."

— Ramsha Ahmed, Program and Training Fellow, Cohort 1

An orange illustration of a woman
"This fellowship experience has been amazing! I joined the HerStart project during a time when I was still figuring out what my next step was for me and this experience turned out to be exactly what I needed. Over my four months I got to meet and work with some incredible people from Canada, Uganda, Ghana and Tanzania; I enhanced and developed new skills that I will take with me throughout my career and I got to contribute to a program that aligns with my values. What more could I ask for!"

— Sarah Naylor, Program and Training Fellow, Cohort 1

An orange illustration of a woman
"As a HerStart Fellow I had the opportunity to work with an incredible international team of program designers, social entrepreneurship experts, in-country partners and other volunteer fellows from across Ghana, Uganda, Tanzania and Canada. I learned from experts, honed new skills, and deepened my understanding of social and green entrepreneurship, women’s empowerment, inclusive growth and design thinking. Through conversations with women entrepreneurs, our fellowship research sought to listen and share the voices, experiences and journeys of women entrepreneurs, and harness the power of their stories in a tangible, impactful and meaningful way. I feel proud knowing that our research will inform HerStart program design and will ultimately help to support 10,000 young women to become social entrepreneurs and make an impact in their communities."

— Shanna Sunley, Research & Insights Fellow, Cohort 1

An orange illustration of a woman
"The HerStart fellowship was a really important experience for me. Not only did it give me an opportunity to be part of something in a time where we are so disconnected and opportunities are sparse (cue pandemic), it also allowed me to grow and understand myself in unexpected ways. Looking back, it’s remarkable to see what can be accomplished in 4 months, and I am really proud of what my team and I have done. This role allowed me to virtually travel into a completely new context and speak with incredible individuals in Ghana to learn about their realities within the realm of women’s social entrepreneurship through a human-centred lens. Additionally, acquiring the skills to work remotely, across cultures and time zones has been a standout piece, and I’m eager to be able to put it to use in one way or another in the future!"

— Katarina Alurovic, Research and Insights Fellow, Cohort 2

An purple illustration of a man
"My time in the HerStart Fellowship has been nothing but positive and beneficial for my own professional development and personal growth. The YCI team is highly passionate about supporting young people to find their passion in the fields of social impact and development work, and I felt that throughout the entire fellowship. This opportunity also exposed me to a network of other organizations and development practitioners who I had the chance to learn from and gain experience with in various capacities. This was certainly an important step in my own career and I will be drawing on my experience in the fellowship in future opportunities."

— Joseph Flores, Climate Action Fellow, Cohort 2

An orange illustration of a woman
An orange illustration of a woman
An orange illustration of a woman
An orange illustration of a woman
An purple illustration of a man

FAQ

Underline detail

You have questions, we have answers. We’re here to help you figure out if a HerStart International Fellowship is right for you. 

Get Started

Underline detail

Explore current volunteer fellowship opportunities