The Miguel Hernández University of Elche (UMH), in conjunction with its Vice Rectorate for Internationalization and Cooperation, hereby announces places to participate in the 2025 UMH International Development Cooperation Volunteer Program in Rwanda. This edition, its 12^th, is introducing a few new features, and one of them for 2025 is that the volunteer stays are going to consist of one-month-long stays for July/August, while the stays for April and June are going to be shorter, and consist of ten-day-long stays. These shorter stays are going to focus on specific training for local Rwandan teachers and healthcare personnel. This call is open to the entire university community, so faculty & research personnel, staff, alumni, and UMH students are all eligible to apply for one of these volunteer places.

The stays planned for April/May (approximately April 21 – May 4) are meant to provide specific training for teachers working at Apeki Tumba High School. The stays planned for June (approximately June 9 – June 19) are to provide training for healthcare personnel working at Nemba Hospital; however, other projects by volunteers may take place during these periods. Moreover, as is usual in this volunteer program, there will also be a group of volunteers who will stay in Rwanda for about one month, and for this longer stay, its dates are mid-July to mid-August.

Individuals interested in applying for this program have through February 14, 2025, to submit their application.

The details for the 2025 call will be explained in two informational meetings. The first, a hybrid session, is taking place on February 5 at 11 a.m. in the Undergraduate Room of La Galia Hall, and individuals may attend this meeting in an online manner. The second session is taking place the following day, February 6, at 5 p.m. local time (Central European Time), and this session is taking place exclusively in an online manner. The link for both meetings is this: https://meet.google.com/evc-cewb-opi.

For this, the 2025 edition of the program, the list of local Rwandan teaching needs includes training on artificial intelligence and other information and communication technology considerations, as well as various technical aspects related to engineering, school management, team management, and leadership. In the health realm, these needs include specific training on physiotherapy, mental health, hospital pharmacy administration, emergency triage, and pediatrics, among others.

Furthermore, as a new initiative this year, the volunteers also have the opportunity of working with cooperatives and rural groups on basic training or short courses on basic notions of entrepreneurship, psychological support, pediatric treatment for children with neurological conditions, artistic initiatives, etc. Many local needs that have been reported by collaborating partners are specified in the call and are going to be expanded upon in the informational sessions. However, the selection committee may also consider other relevant proposals that are not listed in this call.

For further information, interested individuals may send an email to .