Internship Programme Activity Debrief, December 2025

Report Summary:

In December 2025, interns conducted field visits, community dialogues, stakeholder engagements, and awareness campaigns aimed at generating grassroots evidence on climate vulnerability while strengthening civil society participation in transboundary water governance. These activities provided practical insights into local environmental challenges and amplified community voices across diverse national contexts.

Across the region, country-level engagements highlighted a wide range of climate-related issues and responses. Activities included assessments of plastic waste recycling in Burundi, farmer-focused climate awareness in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and documentation of water salinity impacts in Egypt. Other efforts ranged from stakeholder dialogues and infrastructure assessments in Ethiopia to community data collection on drought resilience in Kenya, policy engagement in Rwanda, heatwave awareness in South Sudan, and flood impact documentation in Tanzania. Together, these initiatives showcased both the diversity of climate risks and the localized strategies communities employ to adapt.

Overall, the findings reveal interconnected climate challenges—including flooding, drought, extreme heat, pollution, and water quality degradation—that disproportionately affect vulnerable groups such as women and youth. While communities continue to rely on indigenous knowledge and adaptive practices, there remains a clear gap in institutional support and resources to sustain these efforts. The internship programme has significantly contributed to citizen-led data generation and strengthened collaboration between NBD, NDFs, and grassroots actors, laying a solid foundation for deeper engagement and long-term climate resilience across the Nile Basin.