Zerafshan means  ‚golden’ in Tajik and is the name of the main river crossing the Zerafshan Valley in north-west Tajikistan. The river supplies water for  agriculture, the main livelihood of the 314,000 people in the Valley, whose population consists mainly of ethnic Tajiks, with an Uzbek minority.

The Zeravshan Tourism Development Association (ZTDA) aims to establish community-based tourism in the Valley. ZTDA members are local villagers providing tourist services like accomodation, transport and mountain guiding. ZTDA’s mission is to provide villagers with better sources of incomes and at the same time to preserve the fragile environment and cultural heritage. ZTDA offers its members free professional training courses focusing on issues like running a homestay, environmental care, marketing and business management.

The aim of the internship is to promote ZTDA and raise the level of professionalism by improving the skills of the ZTDA staff and thereby providing them with better work options in the future. Interns will make contact with international tourism partners and develop advertising material in order to create a corporate image. They will also do media work, which includes writing articles, updating the organization´s website and maintain virtual social networks and blogs. Aside from marketing tasks, interns will develop trainings for staff and also support the creation of new tours, as well as participate in project development writing and fund raising activities.

Practical experience in advertising/marketing is required, especially for the production of advertising materials. Good writing skills in English and knowledge of new social media applications is indispensable. Interns also need knowledge of sustainable tourism management and development. They should apply a professional attitude when it comes to dealing with international partners or donors. Previous experience in fund raising activities and international project writing would be appreciated. A good grasp of publishing programs and photo editing software is an asset. Interns are requested to bring their own laptops.

The scheduled time for the internship is July to September 2012. Training seminars prior to the internship will be held in English. The tandem will be formed by a French participant and a German/Swiss participant.