Stagiaire: Architecte Lomé, Togo (3 mois)

Organizational Context

UNICEF works in over 190 countries to save children's lives and defend their rights. In Togo, UNICEF supports the government, Rotary International, and private partners in establishing innovative community-based childcare centers in markets. These centers address the dual challenge of protecting young children (0-5 years) and empowering women traders by providing safe, stimulating environments.

Job Purpose

This internship aims to support the development of an innovative, ecological, and adaptable architectural model for crèches integrated into urban and peri-urban markets in Togo. These facilities will provide safe, stimulating spaces for children aged 0-5, particularly 0-3, whose mothers work in informal market sectors. The initiative seeks to enhance child protection, early childhood development, and women's economic empowerment by enabling mothers to work more productively. The goal is to design low-cost, durable, environmentally friendly, and easily reproducible crèches using local materials, natural ventilation, and ensuring thermal comfort and safety. This contributes to modernizing markets and creating local jobs, aligning architecture with child protection, gender equality, and sustainable development. The internship also serves to build a pool of human resources with initial UNICEF work experience.

Responsibilities

The intern will play a crucial role in the architectural design and development of innovative, ecological, and adaptable crèche models for integration into urban and peri-urban markets across Togo. This will involve the elaboration of detailed sketches and comprehensive plans, ensuring that the designs incorporate spaces specifically adapted for the holistic development of children aged 0-3 years. A core responsibility will be to conceptualize and refine architectural solutions that are not only aesthetically pleasing but also highly functional, modular, and cost-effective, prioritizing the use of locally sourced materials to ensure sustainability and community ownership. The intern will be tasked with integrating passive design strategies, such as natural ventilation and optimal thermal comfort, to create healthy and safe indoor environments for children. Furthermore, the role will encompass ensuring that all designs adhere to stringent safety standards for young children and are easily reproducible across diverse market settings. This contribution will directly support the broader project objectives of enhancing child protection, promoting gender equality by empowering women traders, and fostering sustainable development through environmentally conscious infrastructure. The intern will also contribute to documenting design processes and specifications to facilitate future replication and scaling of the crèche model.

Work Experience

The program targets individuals seeking a first work experience aligned with UNICEF's organizational culture and conditions. It offers opportunities for experiential learning in the humanitarian sector, providing significant internship experience.

Skills

Architectural Design, Ecological Design Principles, Modular Construction Design, Low-Cost Construction Techniques, Sustainable Materials Selection, Natural Ventilation Design, Thermal Comfort Optimization, Child Safety Design, Sketching and Planning, Project Documentation, Problem-solving, Adaptability

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