All Out Africa

Journalism Internship in Eswatini: Hilda’s Turing Scheme Experience

Simise — Tue, 18 Aug 2026 09:59:45 +0000

For three weeks, Bournemouth University student Hilda Najjumbа traded the UK for a journalism internship in Eswatini with Inside Biz. Supported by All Out Africa and funded through the Turing Scheme, the experience gave Hilda the opportunity to develop her journalism skills, explore a new culture and experience working abroad for the first time.

Hi my name is Hilda Najjumba and I’m now a final year multimedia journalism student at Bournemouth University. I specifically chose this university because I wanted to move away from home but not too far, live somewhere different from the city of London and also the course I am on really enticed me when I read and experienced it at their open days. So from then on I decided to give it a go and I haven’t regretted it since!

I knew the opportunity to work overseas was an option but I never thought it was an option for me until I was accepted. Even then, money and funding would have always been a barrier for me personally but when I learnt about the Turing Scheme, I knew I had to give it a go. The skills in order for my personal growth as travelling the world is always something I’ve wanted to do and enhancing career prospects for my future.

Applying for the traineeship was something I had to be optimistic about. After many rejections from work experience positions in the UK, I almost gave up hope so applying for one overseas seemed like an impossible win. When I got accepted I was over the moon and I knew I couldn’t say no. I researched the country I would be staying in, Eswatini which is a small country close to South Africa, and I was very excited to start but also very nervous to be leaving home for three weeks. The job was a journalism intern at a local online Magazine called Inside Biz and I initially found it through a different internship scheme from an organisation called All Out Africa who were my hosts for accomodation and activities.

The Turing Scheme funding helped me a lot as I had to pay for the internship and it was very valuable money spent on a very valuable experience.

I spent 3 weeks in the wonderful country of Eswatini on a journalism internship for my multimedia journalism course at Inside Biz, arranged by All out Africa.

I will start the journey off with the day of my takeoff, I left my passport at home! I think all my nerves had gotten the better of me that afternoon, to the point where I had to turn back and practically sprint to my house to get it. But thankfully I made it to the airport in due time and I was all set to go. Saying goodbye to my family was the first milestone I overcame. This is my first time solo travelling but I knew that this experience was going to help me grow as a person and bring positive things to my future.

I landed in South Africa early in the morning and then began my drive to Eswatini. When I arrived that’s when everything became real. I won’t lie and say I wasn’t scared but I was also ready to get stuck in with what was ahead of me.

Simise, one of the All Out Africa staff member, met me in the morning and gave me a small but great tour of Mbabane. I got introduced to the Inside Biz team and they were all lovely people to work with and I have loved getting to know them. I also had the opportunity to visit the Eswatini Broadcasting and Information Services and this the country’s radio station. We had a little tour and they even offered me some work experience that I had to kindly decline because of time.

The country was very friendly and accommodating. I did have to get used to the transportation and timing of things however I was warned about ‘Swazi timing’ by Simise so it was something I had to adjust to but it wasn’t a big issue during my time there.

I got started on my internship at Inside Biz the next day and the 3 weeks flew by. I got to do so many different things and put the skills I’m learning at university to good practice in a real life journalism setting. My favourite event had to be a dialogue event about an organisation called Women’s Unlimited who spoke about solutions that can be made to prevent gender based violence and sexual harassment in Higer educational institutions. It was nice to hear and cover how they were tackling this problem.

Inside Biz gave me a chance to write for their online magazine as well as their other magazine “Kulture” that focuses on lifestyle and culture around Eswatini. I’ve written features, event overviews, magazine promotion events and even gotten to do the one thing I am most passionate about right now, photography and my own content creation on the side. I loved seeing some of the economic initiatives the country had in store and also loved the great sense of community here through music events, art events, farmers markets and so much more.

In my free time over the weekends I had the chance to explore the country’s amazing landscape. When I first arrived in Eswatini I was stunned by how close I was to the mountainous views. I got to go to the Mantenga nature reserve and Swazi Cultural village arranged by Lucy and the All Out Africa team and it was so much fun experiencing a diverse and exciting culture.

I also celebrated my birthday during my time here and I got to do horseriding which is something I have always wanted to do as horses are my favourite animal. The two hour ride was peaceful and I got to experience being mere feet away from zebras without a glass barrier in front of me and I am very happy to have experienced that. Not only that but on my birthday I got three cakes, one from the all out staff, one from inside biz and one from Sinothemba, one of the Lidwala staff. They made me feel really special on my day when I thought I would feel alone, so I am forever grateful for the celebrations on my 20th birthday.

This traineeship helped me understand that different journalistic outlets all have different ways of writing and learning them can be challenging but not impossible. It developed my interview and research skills and gave me confidence to be afraid to create content in public. Being a multimedia journalism student made it a lot easier to adjust to this traineeship as I soon came to realise that all the practice we would do in lectures and workshops completely replicated to the real world so when it got to my last week, I could do the job with ease. In Eswatini they speak Siswati and English but it was only fair of me to learn a few words and phrases to get around. The language is definitely not an easy one but a few phrases were easy for me to understand and even speak so it wasn’t terrible. However if I were to go back, learning more words and phrases would be beneficial.

I won’t lie and say there weren’t challenges as I felt homesick quite a bit but calling home is nothing to be embarrassed about as I probably did it everyday. It helped me to remember that people were still thinking about me and waiting for me when I came back home.

This traineeship has been something that will alter my life forever. I say this in terms of being able to understand and respect different cultural perspectives allows me to be open and understanding to situations that can even come off as difficult. In addition, I am now able to understand different cultural mannerisms, for example in Eswatini everyone is very close and friendly so saying hello to someone on the street is a norm, whereas in the UK it’s less common. Regarding my future, I do believe that employers would see me as someone who is eager and ambitious to try new things. It also has encouraged me to want to travel in my free time even more, not only for employment but to be able to experience different cultures and see more of the world rather than staying in one place.

If I were to give advice to myself at the start of my experience knowing what I know now it would be, “ There’s something beyond this for you and everything happening now is happening for a reason.” This is because I know it doesn’t end here for me. I have made long lasting connections with people, not just professionally but also personally. My greatest achievement from this has been me not giving up even when I wanted to. The whole process of getting to Eswatini was challenging and didn’t feel real until I landed but I’m so happy I didn't give up.

Overall, I will definitely be going back home with loads of stories to tell my friends, family and lecturers at university. It has been an incredible experience and I’m glad I took that leap of faith to do it. If I were to recommend this experience to someone I definitely would. I would like to say a massive thank you to All Out Africa, Lidwala Lodge and Inside Biz x Kulture for all taking a chance on me when I needed it. Every single person that helped me will never be forgotten and will definitely be missed.

Written by: Hilda Najjumba - Photography and Videography intern

Feeling inspired? Contact us on bookings@alloutafrica.com for more information on our internships. You can first take a look at the relevant webpages (listed under "LEARN". Hilda undertook the internship in Photography and Videography internship

Savannah Research Centre Eswatini Q1 2026

Simise — Tue, 28 Apr 2026 12:41:37 +0000

Savannah Research Centre Eswatini Q1 2026 highlights a productive period of conservation work, volunteer engagement, and community outreach across Eswatini. Earlier this year, the SRC team hosted a World Challenge group (11 participants) at Wide Horizons Mountain Retreat. The group actively engaged in various conservation activities, including rodent trapping, camera trapping, and the removal of invasive species.

In addition, they contributed to community outreach by teaching over 65 local pupils about ecology and conservation, helping to raise environmental awareness among young learners.

During this period, the SRC hosted 2 interns and 18 volunteers. Their primary contribution was to the large herbivore monitoring project, focusing on giraffe and zebra photo identification. Participants received training prior to fieldwork and were involved in both data collection and data entry. As a result:

24 giraffes were successfully identified
8 zebras were successfully identified

Furthermore, two call-in surveys were conducted in Mlawula Nature Reserve as part of the Spotted Hyena Monitoring Project.

SRC staff attended a workshop hosted by RECAP_BR at Mabuda Farm Lodge in Siteki. The workshop focused on empowering African students through funding opportunities to conduct research within their home countries, with the aim of generating locally relevant knowledge and supporting community development.

A concrete slab was successfully constructed in the dining area around the kitchen. This improvement enhances the functionality and durability of the camp’s communal space.

The SRC experienced several operational challenges during this period:

Heavy rains led to flooding and erosion within the SRC camp. Fortunately, no major damages were incurred, and the camp was restored promptly.
Weather conditions also made field operations difficult during the World Challenge programme; however, all planned activities were successfully completed.
Roads within Mbuluzi Game Reserve were damaged due to the rains, resulting in two instances of tire damage to the Mahindra vehicle, requiring replacements.
Power outages, caused by a faulty solar electricity system, disrupted daily operations during the volunteer and intern programme.

Despite these challenges, SRC maintained operational continuity and successfully delivered all key activities.

Feeling inspired? Contact us at bookings@alloutafrica.com to learn more about our Eswatini Conservation volunteering and internship programs.

Marine Conservation Mozambique Q1 2026

Simise — Tue, 28 Apr 2026 11:21:06 +0000

Marine Conservation Mozambique Q1 2026 marks a dynamic and impactful period for All Out Africa’s Marine Research and Conservation Center. In January, we said goodbye to Jule Buschmann, who has been managing the Marine Research and Conservation Center for the last two years. She will be greatly missed for her valuable contributions, and spent her last month at the MRC training her successor, Therese Lauridsen, who will be managing the center going forward.

We have hosted three volunteers in January, eight in February, and five in March, completing more than 60 research dives! On these dives, 13 Leopard sharks have been identified using AI spot mapping. Two Leopard sharks had not previously been documented, so these were submitted as new individuals for the shared global dataset ‘Sharkbook’. The volunteers named the first one ‘Professor’ and the second one ‘Power’. We also managed to submit a research paper on Leopard sharks “Leopard Sharks (Stegostoma tigrinum) in Southern Mozambique: Population Structure, Spatial Ecology and First Observations of Courtship behaviour” led by AoA and supported by MMF.

This quarter presented great challenges for the community of the Inhambane province. With floods in both January and March, and the cyclone Gezani in February, the research center was challenged on completing the research dives and the regular activities. It was, however, during the 6-day power outage following the cyclone the new Leopard shark ‘Power’ was discovered - hence the name. The volunteers however made these challenges into opportunities, as they offered their support in cleaning up debris and rebuilding, which many from the community expressed moved them.

In March, the Whale sharks finally returned to Tofo, after having been absent since September 2025. The volunteers are very excited, and we are taking every chance we get to swim with these magnificent creatures. Four times we have been able to ID them, one of them has not been documented in the datasets before, so the volunteers are lucky enough to name this one too. The timing could not have been better, as we currently are hosting a three month intern from the Netherlands, coming to study the Whale sharks. She however changed her research topic from Photo-ID and AI spotmapping, to trying to explain this long absence of Whale shark from September 2025 to March 2026. This fits well with another research paper submitted for publication this quarter, where the data sets of Whale shark sightings have been analysed, and suggests a new possibility of a seasonal redistribution and movement patterns of the Whale sharks, which used to be present in Tofo all year.

Overall, the volunteers have shown great spirits through challenging times, and very genuine care for the community and the locals of the area, while still completing their research dives and contributing to the large datasets aimed at marine conservation in Mozambique.
The research center has submitted three different research papers. Follow along on our Instagram, where we will post when they are published

Feeling inspired? Contact us at bookings@alloutafrica.com to learn more about our Mozambique volunteering and internship programs.

Cape Town Volunteer Programs: Q1 2026 Community Impact

Simise — Mon, 27 Apr 2026 09:13:53 +0000

Cape Town Volunteer Programs made a meaningful impact in Q1 2026 as seven international volunteers supported community projects in Hout Bay, Cape Town. Four volunteers joined as direct placements and three participated in the Kruger to Cape two-week programme. Volunteers contributed to childcare, education, and disability support initiatives through partner organisations including the Association for Persons with Disabilities (APD), Wavecrest Early Childhood Development Centre, Hout Bay Primary School, and the Ikhaya Lethemba After‑School Programme in Imizamo Yethu.

Volunteers assisted teachers in classrooms, supported early childhood development activities, and helped with daily care routines such as preparing meals and supervising play. At the Ikhaya Lethemba After-School Programme, volunteers supported approximately 175 children by helping with homework, organising games and sports, and assisting with meal distribution. At APD, volunteers contributed to daily support activities including meal preparation, creative workshops, and social interaction with participants.

Several volunteers also made meaningful personal contributions, including donations of classroom items, school uniforms, and shoes for children in need. During the quarter, a fire in Imizamo Yethu affected a number of families connected to the projects. Volunteers responded with compassion by helping provide essential school supplies for affected learners.

The quarter also presented challenges for the community, including the passing of the head teacher at Hout Bay Primary School, which had a significant emotional impact on staff and learners. Volunteers showed respect and solidarity with the school community during this time.

Overall, volunteers demonstrated dedication, flexibility, and genuine care while supporting local partners. Their involvement helped strengthen childcare, educational assistance, and community support services. Continued collaboration with partner organisations remains vital for maintaining these positive outcomes.

Feeling inspired? Contact us at bookings@alloutafrica.com to learn more about our Cape Town volunteering and internship programs.

Report from Our Business Development Intern

Lucy — Tue, 14 Oct 2025 12:10:21 +0000

Emilie reports on her time as an intern with a local NGO

Supporting an agricultural cooperative in Eswatini

Hi, my name is Emilie. For the past two months, I worked with the NGO Fair and Square via All Out Africa. Fair and Square is an organisation that supports women and youth entrepreneurs in Eswatini by strengthening their skills through training, trade, and advocacy.

After almost five years working as a consultant in sustainable finance in Belgium and Germany, I decided to take a few months break to experience humanitarian work while being emerged in a new culture. I chose the project with Fair and Square because its mission resonated with me and was close to my field. I had never heard of Eswatini before, but quickly succumbed to the charm of the country and its people.

My main assignment was to support a women-owned agricultural cooperative producing sustainable agri-food products. I had the chance to meet the women behind the cooperative and to attend their Board meetings, which helped me better understand the specific challenges small farming organisations face in Eswatini – such as limited access to financing, payment delays, lack of infrastructure for distribution, and gaps in managerial skills.

In this context, I initiated the development of a risk assessment grid based on prior literature. This tool is designed to support agricultural cooperatives or smallholder farmers in the country to better capture their risk profile and to define appropriate risk management solutions tailored to their specific context. I also gathered information on the requirements for exporting food products to the European market, as the cooperative is now seeking to expand its reach beyond Eswatini.

In addition to my main assignment, I also had the opportunity to spend time to other community projects outside my field, such as homework club, small building activities, or even creating new recipes to help a local producer market her chili sauce.

Beyond work, I had the chance to take part in unforgettable trips, including a week in Tofo Beach in Mozambique, and another in Kruger National Park in South Africa, where I experienced the richness of African wildlife.

Overall, this internship provided me with valuable insights into the functioning of nonprofit organizations and the dynamics of social impact projects, while also giving me a meaningful cultural and personal experience.

GET INVOLVED!

Feeling inspired? Contact us on bookings@alloutafrica for more information on our internships. You can first take a look at the relevant webpages (listed under "LEARN". Emilie undertook the internship in Business Development and Product Design