Elie Mukuna, Honours Bachelor of Social Sciences in International Development and Globalization, 4th year
Internship country: Ghana
Canadian NGO: AFS
Local NGO: McKingtorch Africa
In every situation, the most important thing is to find the positive aspect and how you can gain the most from it. Working as an intern at McKingtorch Africa had many positive aspects and some challenges. One of the biggest challenges was feeling underworked, a common experience among interns, especially when working for small enterprises and NGOs. It is easy to feel discouraged when things like that happen, but it is also important to remember the reason why you are doing this internship abroad. Finding my “why?” helped me a lot. It not only made me reflect on my overall experience but also acknowledged the positive aspects, on a personal and professional level, I have made since I have been in Ghana. By doing so, I also asked myself a simple yet powerful question: given the resources and context I have, what can I create? That question led me to develop an independent, research-based project.
I began analyzing informal waste management systems in Accra, assessing how digital technology could be effectively integrated into them. By examining comparable platforms across Africa and mapping key stakeholders, I set out to identify the success factors and the barriers to adoption. The final output of my project is a strategic report with concrete recommendations for digital waste management initiatives, aligned with SDG targets for sustainable cities and communities (SDG11), responsible consumption and production(SDG12), and climate action (SDG13). I am in the research and development stage, and I am excited to see the outcome and how I contributed to McKingtorch Africa's vision, mission, and activities. So even when there are challenges and things don't go the way you planned, trust the process and remember to focus on the bigger picture.
Ghana has reminded me that growth rarely looks the way you expect. It does not always come from being busy, from having a packed schedule, or from checking every single box on a to-do list. Sometimes it comes from sitting in discomfort or having too little to do and deciding to build something anyway. Whatever path you are on, whether it is an internship abroad, a new job, or simply a new chapter in your life, the circumstances will rarely be perfect. There will always be something that does not go according to plan, something that moves more slowly than you would like, or something that asks more out of you than you expected. The question is not whether challenges will come. The question is who you decide to be when they do. Adaptability and purpose are not only skills you are born with; they are muscles you build, one unexpected situation at a time. Ghana built mine.