Backend Developer Volunteer (4 to 6 Weeks)

Santos Creations Educational Foundation (SCEF) is inviting applications for a 4 to 6-week Backend Developer Volunteer Programme to support one of our live digital platforms:

• NESA-Africa — education recognition and public participation
• EduAid-Africa — education awareness, impact, and engagement
• SCEF — foundation, programme, and organizational platform

This is a short-term remote opportunity for backend developers who want to contribute to real, active platforms serving education, recognition, and social impact across Africa.

Volunteers will work with the existing team and the CTO to help improve, refine, and strengthen backend systems.

Important Note

You will work on one project only during the 4 to 6-week period.

Applicants may indicate their preferred project:

• NESA-Africa
• EduAid-Africa
• SCEF

This allows each volunteer to focus clearly and contribute meaningfully within the project cycle.

Key Strategic Objective

A major focus of this role is to support the continued backend development and improvement of the NESA ecosystem, including the conversion of existing nominees into active nominees, stronger engagement systems, and improved platform usability for public participation.

This includes helping the team build or refine backend systems for:

• local chapters
• nominations
• voting
• ticketing
• earn voting points
• merchandise
• judges portal
• nominee engagement and acceptance
• public participation workflows
• support, sponsorship, and campaign logic
• fundraising infrastructure for Rebuild My School Africa

Backend Scope of Work

Depending on your assigned platform, your work may include support for the backend structure behind:

1. Local Chapters System

• chapter registration and management
• chapter-level participation flows
• chapter visibility and tracking
• local engagement logic and structure

1. Nominations System

• nomination forms and data handling
• nominee records and categorization
• nominee acceptance status
• nomination workflow cleanup and refinement

1. Voting System

• public voting logic
• secure vote processing
• voter flow and validation support
• backend structure for participation and transparency

1. Ticketing System

• event ticket logic and registration flow
• ticket request and confirmation process
• backend support for Gala and event participation

1. Earn Voting Points System

• point allocation logic
• participation reward structure
• user activity-linked engagement logic
• backend tracking for point-based engagement

1. Merchandise System

• product listing support
• merchandise order logic
• backend flow for campaign merchandise where applicable

1. Judges Portal

• judge access and role structure
• backend support for review and scoring workflows
• system logic for controlled judging processes

1. Nominee Conversion and Engagement

• converting the current 1,760 nominees into active nominees
• nominee communication support
• official email-trigger logic from NESA-Africa
• nominee acceptance and activity tracking
• linking nominee acceptance to social media and campaign workflows

1. Rebuild My School Africa Fundraising Portal

• create or refine a fundraising portal for Rebuild My School Africa
• support donor flow, campaign tracking, and intervention visibility
• allow fundraising campaigns to connect with school stories and project needs
• structure support pathways for donations, sponsorship, and campaign-based giving
• enable backend logic that supports automatic linkage with social media campaigns, so fundraising pages, stories, and donation calls can be amplified and tracked across digital channels
• support conversion from social media visibility into measurable fundraising action

Meet Our Volunteers

Our volunteers are contributors who help move live systems from idea to real public use.

They work across technical, content, campaign, and support functions to strengthen the NESA, EduAid, and SCEF ecosystem. Each volunteer is assigned to a practical area of contribution and works with the wider team to improve usability, participation, visibility, and public trust.

As a backend developer volunteer, your contribution is not abstract. It supports real user journeys and real platform needs.

Description of Work Contributed

As a volunteer in this role, the work you contribute may directly support:

• smoother nomination and voting experiences for users
• stronger data handling and process tracking
• more reliable ticketing and participation systems
• clearer judge review and controlled access workflows
• improved nominee activation and communication
• stronger local chapter participation systems
• more usable fundraising support for Rebuild My School Africa
• better campaign integration between backend systems and social media-driven participation

Your work contributes to the technical foundation that allows:

• nominees to respond and participate
• judges to review properly
• users to vote or register
• donors and supporters to contribute
• chapters to engage locally
• campaigns to convert interest into measurable action

What You Will Do

Depending on the assigned priority area, you may support:

• backend cleanup and optimization
• API improvements and integrations
• database structure and performance
• system logic and workflow refinement
• bug fixes and backend stability
• real-time participation and content functions
• user tracking and engagement flow logic
• email-trigger or notification support systems
• backend support for participation, conversion, fundraising, and campaign activities

The current platforms were developed using Lovable AI, and this role focuses on helping refine and strengthen the existing system for better reliability, performance, usability, fundraising readiness, and growth.

Working Structure

This is a collaborative role.

You will:

• work with the existing team
• contribute under the direction of the CTO
• support practical backend improvements on a live system
• focus on one assigned platform/project during the 4 to 6-week cycle

This is not a standalone role. You will contribute within an active workflow.

Time Commitment

• Duration: 4 to 6 weeks
• Schedule: Flexible
• Estimated commitment: 2–4 hours per day

Location

Remote

Volunteers can be based anywhere, though the ability to coordinate with the team is important.

Qualifications

We are looking for volunteers who:

• have basic to intermediate backend development experience
• are comfortable working on existing systems rather than building from scratch
• can review, troubleshoot, and improve live digital products
• can collaborate with an existing team and follow technical direction
• are detail-oriented, reliable, and solution-focused
• understand that backend work must support system functionality, user conversion, and fundraising flow

Preferred Skills

Experience in one or more of the following is helpful:

• backend development frameworks and tools
• APIs and integrations
• database management
• workflow logic and system architecture
• email/notification systems
• user tracking and participation logic
• donation/fundraising logic or portal flows
• GitHub or version-control workflow
• experience working with AI-generated or no-code-assisted systems

Before Applying

Applicants are encouraged to review the platforms:

• www.nesa.africa
• www.eduaid.africa
• www.santoscreations.org

This helps you understand the ecosystem and identify where you may be able to contribute.

Benefits

Volunteers may receive:

• practical experience working on live platforms
• experience collaborating with an existing team and CTO
• portfolio-building project experience
• certificate of participation
• recommendation for strong contributors
• possibility of future technical opportunities within the ecosystem

How to Apply

Please send:

• your preferred project (NESA-Africa, EduAid-Africa, or SCEF)
• a short summary of your backend experience
• tools/technologies you use
• your availability
• your location/timezone
• GitHub, portfolio, or relevant links if available

Organization

Santos Creations Educational Foundation (SCEF)

Supporting: NESA-Africa and EduAid-Africa

Websites:

• www.nesa.africa
• www.eduaid.africa
• www.santoscreations.org