The Sudan REDD+ Program readily recognizes the relevance of inclusiveness, of the contribution of youth; and gender balance in policy and decision-making and in the overall implementation of REDD interventions. The internship program has been designed to help selected students to obtain a hands-on experience in Sudan’s REDD readiness program by both contributing their knowledge and research expertise while fulfilling academic milestones and informing the REDD process from the perspective of the youth. Students and for that matter, youth are key stakeholders of the Sudan REDD+ and therefore their engagement in REDD+ program provides an opportunity to transfer knowledge.

The internship program aims to nurture future professionals, experts and leaders in the development-climate change-natural resources management agenda. In addition, it also provides some form of transition for graduate students from the education stage to career life while gaining insight into the work of the REDD+ program. Sudan REDD+’s Project Management Unit (PMU) is following up with the interns providing administrative and technical support during the internship period.

Bridging the gap between research and practice

The REDD+ internship is as one of the initiatives under the Sudan REDD+ Readiness Project that focuses on improving research in topics spanning deforestation, forest degradation, desertification and the rehabilitation of degraded land, and their linkages with climate change, carbon stocks and sustainable natural resources management.  The six interns, through their researches, cover different ecological zones   in Sudan, namely mangroves forests in the Red Sea State, desert regions represented in forests in the Northern States, and Savannah regions represented in forests in the Gedarif, Sennar and Central Darfur States. 

 Finally, the internship program is a win-win opportunity; on one hand, it empowers young leadership and on the other hand, interns provide an evidence-base for the Sudan REDD+ program that can guide tailoring effective and successful REDD+ projects. It is hoped that Sudan REDD+ internship program will act as a good model of how youth, researchers particularly, can be integrated into natural resources management and climate change programs.

Meet Our Interns

Abdalla Babeker: graduated from Sudan University of Science and Technology   in September 2017. Studding MSc   at The Future University . Abdalla aims through his research to quantify the changes of land use and cover in Cerro forest, in Sennar State, which is one of the affected areas by climate change.

Eiman Ahmed Hassan: graduated from the Faculty of Forestry (University of Khartoum) in October 2015,  studying MSc at University of Khartoum. Her research focus is on Kodroka Forest, as one of the degraded forests, located in Dongola, the Northern State (one of Sudan's desert regions). Eiman will conduct a socio-economic study for Kodroka forest.

Altahir Balla: graduated from the Faculty of Forestry (University of Khartoum) in October 2015. Studying MSc  at University of Khartoum.  Altahir is studying the impact of tree belts on agricultural productivity and the amount of biomass in Gedarif state

Altahir Balla: graduated from the Faculty of Forestry (University of Khartoum) in October 2015. Studying MSc  at University of Khartoum.  Altahir is studying the impact of tree belts on agricultural productivity and the amount of biomass in Gedarif state

Yasir Yaseen: graduated from university of juba, studying MSc at University of Khartoum Environmental Institute Yasir’s research is on the assessment of forest resources degradation in Central Darfur State, considering Um Aroog natural forest as a case study. University of Khartoum

Mona Abdelraham: graduated from university of Khartoum, studying MSc  at   University of Khartoum Environmental Institute. Her research is on the quantification of drivers of forests degradation in Sudan.