My name is Bitisho Muma and I am in my 4th year student in Conflict Studies and Human Rights (French Immersion Stream) with a minor in the Social Sciences of Health. I am currently doing my internship in Vietnam with the Association for the Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (AEPD).
I chose this organization because I have worked with people with disabilities, and I was curious to see how the empowerment of those with disabilities was conducted abroad. Furthermore, throughout my studies, we have learned about many big non-governmental organizations (NGOs) such as Oxfam, Amnesty International, International Committee of the Red Cross (IRC) and I wanted to be placed at a local NGO. The primary reason for applying to do an international internship rather than being in a classroom setting is to apply the knowledge that I have cultivated over the years in a work setting and expand my abilities.
I have had the opportunity to be in the office and within the field. Their current concentration is climate resilience. As we know, climate change has been affecting those in the global south disproportionately. Vietnam being a coastal country results in them being hit harder when it comes to floods which was made evident in the ravaging 2020 floods in the Quang Binh province that broke water level records. They are empowering households with persons with disabilities through building resilient homes that will withstand storms and training communes in steps to take when a weather disaster is on it is way.
My biggest accomplishment or opportunity so far has been spearheading the application for a grant that I found. They provided me with the tools to start filling in the application and then by the end we were collaborating on a shared document to ensure that everything was written accordingly. This moment made me realize that they had belief in my skills even if I did not at that moment. Being given this opportunity, allowed me to work on being concise in my writing rather than elongating to meet the word count. This was a mind-blowing way to spend my first week in a bit in the office.
Beyond the benefits of the internship, Vietnam is rich in history and varying landscapes. It has been neat to have gone to the Hue Imperial City, the Hands of God and the caves.