Alexandre, International Development and Globalization
Country: Democratic Republic of Congo
Canadian NGO: Alternatives
Local NGO: Solidarité des femmes pour le développement intégral (SOFEDI)
I've been working at SOFEDI for a month now, and I have several experiences to share.
Firstly, I'm lucky to be working with my four intern colleagues: one from Université Laval, two from the University of Ottawa and one from France. My colleagues are very kind and have offered me a lot of help, not only with the language, but also with the composition of the tasks. They also taught me how to write conference abstracts and tender abstracts.
Secondly, my colleagues and supervisors from the Congo are very responsible and friendly. Despite the time difference (a difficult problem to overcome in terms of communication), I always feel their involvement.
Thirdly, SOFEDI's projects in South Kivu are very interesting and useful for the local community. Since SOFEDI focuses on women's reproductive health and on improving women's vulnerable situations, my internship with SOFEDI gave me the opportunity to help several hundred, even several thousand people. This is exactly what I expected as a student of international development.
Fourthly, this internship program has taught me that there is a difference between university and the world of work. Personally, I still need to make an effort to apply what I've learned to the real world, in order to help more people.