Sharuka, International Development and Globalization, CECI – Nepal Research Intern
“In setting up professional internships, not only will we be able to offer students a chance to work with industry professionals, but the students also will be able to take the theory they learn in the classroom and put it into practice here, in whichever activity they’re focused.” - Craig Miller, Chief Marketing Officer and Chief Product Officer at Shopify (2011 – 2020)
Miller’s quote has resonated with me from the very beginning of my internship journey. When I first received an email from the Faculty of Social Sciences, I was a bit hesitant as to how COVID-19 would affect the internship process. However, through a series of workshops, peer mentorships, and accessible support, the staff at uOttawa helped us get ready for our international internship.
As a Third Year student studying International Development, I always valued experiential learning. As Miller states, it allows students to put the theories they learned into practice. Throughout the past few weeks, I have been able to use the opportunities provided to gain a stronger understanding of my role. The organization I work with touches upon such a vast amount of social issues. I am a research intern for CECI, and currently studying the impacts of COVID-19 on various marginalized groups in Nepal. Being in a global pandemic, I was intrigued to learn how the pandemic affects Nepal in comparison to North America.
When I first started, I was assigned a research project that I would work on over the course of my internship with CECI Nepal. Although this was my first solo research task of this scale, I was interested in continuing to develop my research skills that I was able to gather over my academic career. Essentially, CECI Nepal provided me with data from multiple NGOs in Nepal that worked with women, young girls and other minority groups on the field. Each NGO completed a Needs Assessment Portfolio and this data was used to analyze the various socio-political and economical impacts from COVID-19. Data analysis was a skill I was able to learn and continue working on through research projects or work – so this portion of my assignment was not to difficult to complete. I learned a lot about my host country, NGO, the political climate, and the social issues through this project. I am currently working on compiling secondary research to support the findings from the data and also deepen my understanding of COVID-19’s impact in Nepal. At the conclusion of my assignment, I would present the organization with a report detailing the data findings, key challenges, best practices from the NGOs and a list of recommendations I have. The recommendations will be supported using the primary data and additional research I conducted. After, I will conduct a seminar with the team in Nepal to discuss my research, report and recommendations.
I continued to learn more and adapt my skills throughout the first few weeks with my internship. However, there have been some challenges that I have been trying to navigate through. I’ve noticed that working remotely has reduced the amount of exposure I would get if I was on the field. This would have helped me understand my mandate more as I would be able to see
first-hand the impacts of COVID-19. Although I am not physically in Nepal, the team and host organization have been working hard to ensure that their interns are still able to experience the international aspect of the internship.
Regardless of the challenges, I am looking forward to completing my mandate and sharing my research with the team in Nepal. Although COVID-19 impacted virtually all aspects of our lives, it is important to recognize the opportunities it presented as well. I feel like I am supported in my ventures on learning more and am grateful that I work for an organization that allows me to focus on the areas that are not only important to me but are social issues as well.