Safiya, International Relations and Modern Languages
Virtual Internship Country: Horn of Africa
Canadian NGO: Alternatives
Local NGO: Strategic Initiative for Women in Horn of Africa (SIHA)
Through the non-profit organization Alternatives, I had the pleasure of working with the Advocacy and Communications division of an NGO based in East Africa called SIHA (Strategic Initiative for Women in the Horn of Africa).
The majority of the work I conducted on behalf of the organization has been research-based, particularly in the realm of women’s issues and current affairs analysis. At first, this role seemed intimidating because I’ve only gained research experience through my educational experience; applying it to a professional work setting made me slightly anxious at first. However, the self-sufficient nature of my remote work has actually left a lot of room for expanding my research and refining my written communication!
I have found success in the essence of my work in research and reviewing reports and project proposals. Moreover, communicating through a social media intermediary has helped me in knowing which projects I needed to manage or specifically focus my energy on. The only challenge I found was due to the remote setting of the internship. Such challenges included some miscommunication and the effects of the time difference. At the beginning of my internship, I never had experience in a remote job, so I had to turn my bedroom not only into a classroom but also a work station. I made sure to devote some of my time every week to the responsibilities of the internship. Moreover, having a task I was required to complete every week served as a foundational basis for other tasks SIHA sent my way.
In my communication with both Alternatives and SIHA, I found both NGOs incredibly helpful and prepared to guide me through the internship process. I would advise anyone going into this kind of internship to build a good relationship with both coordinators because it made everything flow that much easier. Also, do not devote too much time to one single project. It is much simpler and more effective to work in intervals throughout the week, especially when you are managing the workload of an internship as well as post-secondary studies.