International Blog

Alyna, International Development and Globalization, Communications Officer at CECI, SETU Nepal

As I am nearing the final month of my remote internship with SETU Nepal, I have really begun to feel the full effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Obviously, the pandemic is the reason this internship is remote to begin with; however, as of late I have been faced with several other challenges. Remote international work can be described by one ultimate barrier: time. Time differences present a real challenge – one that is difficult to overcome, as it cannot be changed. It is therefore crucial that you adapt quickly and manage your expectations accordingly. For instance, Canada and Nepal have around a 10-hour time difference, so my workday is starting just as my counterparts’ days are ending. This makes communication tricky. I have had to adapt my schedule to make sure I have time in the mornings to ask any questions or make any clarifications before it gets too late in Nepal, otherwise I have to wait until the next day to get a response.

On top of the time difference, Nepal has been in lockdown for quite some time. As things start to open up again here, they are still struggling. So, my organization, SETU Nepal, has been extremely busy with COVID-19 response activities. This has made it even more difficult at times to contact them and to receive new work from them, as they are off helping the community. Obviously, I am very understanding of the situation there, but it has made it difficult nonetheless for me to feel productive in my daily work activities. If I finish a task and have not been given new instructions, I have to wait until they have a free moment to chat about what is next.

These barriers caused by COVID – as frustrating and difficult as they may be – have forced me to adapt to the new “normal.” Changing my schedule, waking up earlier, being more precise with my emails, and relying on my own troubleshooting skills at times have all been areas that I have had to improve or change. Ultimately, I still feel that this experience has made me a better intern and will hopefully also make me a better student and employee in the future, and for that reason I would not change a thing.

Emily, Honours of Criminology, Communications officer at CECI and Prerana, Nepal

With only two weeks remaining in my mandate, I find myself shocked that the end of my internship is almost here. Although I am very pleased with the things I have had the opportunity to accomplish and learn over the course of the last three months, I wish this experience did not have to come to an end yet. However, now I am going to push myself to get involved in more opportunities where I can be an advocate for gender inequality, environmental sustainability, and inclusion issues, where I will use the amazing skills I have developed during my internship experience.

As I take this time to reflect on my time as an academic E- Volunteer with the Center for International Studies and Cooperation (CECI) and their partnering organization Prerana, I am extremely grateful that I had this opportunity to work with such amazing organizations, even at a distance. At the beginning of my mandate I was very worried about conducting an internship remotely. I remember feeling quite nervous about everything that could go wrong virtually, such as not being able to connect and make relationships with the people that I work with, not being able to communicate much with potential internet issues and a time difference barrier, and not being able to understand and show respect towards the Nepali culture. All of these worries quickly vanished as I met the team and could instantly tell how kind and supportive everyone was. It has been an amazing learning experience, very different from anything I have been involved in before. There were a couple instances where I felt stressed, confused and a bit stuck, but the Faculty of Social Science and CECI teams were always providing support and assistance along the way. I have learned how to adapt to unique situations and circumstances, which will prepare me for any future endeavours where I have to remain open minded and flexible while working. Aside from receiving good professional experience and skills, I also feel as though I have grown personally as a result of the internship. I feel more confident in my skills and am a lot more resilient in stressful situations because I finally understand how to adapt, be accepting, and adjust in adverse situations that arise in the workplace.

Overall, my internship has been fulfilling, positive, and a great opportunity to grow. I urge anyone who is interested in doing an international internship at a distance while the pandemic keeps us from physically being in the field, to seriously consider it. My advice that I would give someone who is going to take part in this experience would be to make the most of your time because it will be over before you know it!

Emily, Honours of Criminology, Centre d’étude de coopération internationale (CECI), Nepal, Prerana, Communications officer

I am currently moving into my fifth week as an academic e- volunteer working with CECI and their close partnering organization Prerana, and it has already been such a fulfilling and amazing experience. I am already dreading the end of this experience as I know it will continue to fly by. I have been working as a communications officer and have been able to practice and facilitate clear communication which is a very useful skill to acquire.

During my third year of my undergrad (this past school year), I had the opportunity to take more specific courses that I hold an interest towards. For example, I took courses that focused on gender, race and exclusion inequalities that exist in our society, which I became determined to actively advocate for. When I listened to the Center for International Studies and Cooperation (CECI) presentation in the Faculty of Social Sciences (FSS) internship information call, I realized that many of their passions and values aligned with mine. I knew that this would be the perfect opportunity for me to make an impact on issues that I am strongly passionate towards, as CECI has been working since 1958 to reduce inequalities in Africa, Asia, and the Americas. The people that I have had the privilege of meeting so far, including the university internship coordinators, the team members from CECI from both Nepal and Canada and the partner organization team have all been incredible and have helped me grow and develop new skills that will help me in my future endeavours.

Even though this internship experience is taking place through a virtual format, I still feel as though it is very possible to make positive changes and work on projects with people across the world while at a distance. All to say, there are issues that arise while learning and working online, whether it be meeting at irregular hours for meetings with the team based on time differences, not being able to fully immerse with the culture where the assignment is taking place, and unclear communication and expectations at times due to email being the main form of interaction. I continue to remind myself to make the best of every day during this experience because there are still so many rewards to attain. The support that has been provided to me through everyone at the university and CECI has been so helpful throughout my experience. So far, I am very pleased with the opportunity to do this virtual internship with CECI, and I cannot wait to visit Nepal one day soon hopefully!

Alyna, International Development and Globalization, Centre d’étude et de coopération internationale (CECI),  Nepal, SETU Nepal, Communications Officer

As I finish up the first half of my remote international internship with the Centre d’étude et de coopération internationale (CECI) and SETU Nepal, I find myself reflecting heavily on the various things I have learned and experienced thus far.

SETU Nepal is a small team that works with HIV positive women, as well as orphaned children in the Kathmandu Valley region of Nepal. The work they do is truly amazing and despite their limited personnel and resources, they have achieved so many great things. Not only do they run capacity building training programs for the women they work with, but they also run a small home for children, where they provide them with an education as well as teach them life skills like cooking and crafting.

Seeing all the amazing work that my host organization does and given the extremely difficult situations of those that they seek to help, I have oftentimes found myself feeling guilty. One of the main things I have been struggling with in terms of this guilt is how privileged I am. Through various attempts to navigate and reflect upon this privilege and my positionality as a white, middle-class, educated woman living in Canada, I find myself asking the same questions again and again. How can I possibly be any help as an intern? Who am I to even try to help? What if they don’t want my help?

At my first meeting with the beneficiaries of SETU, I was nervous that they would be put off by my presence as a white girl from Canada who does not speak their language. I sat there on the video call, smiling and nodding while the group chatted in Nepalese and my supervisor frantically typed a play-by-play translation to me in our WhatsApp chat, and I couldn’t help but feel guilty simply for being there. However, this guilt was quickly dissipated, as the women welcomed me with open arms and were happy to have me join them. What followed was 20 minutes of the women showing off their various works to me, ranging from handmade clothing and recycled items made from old rice bags, to knit headbands and strings of beads.

The kindness and positivity of the women I met with helped me finally come to terms with my privilege and the guilt I was feeling as a result of this. It made me re-evaluate my role as an intern and attempt to better understand the part I am playing in supporting SETU and their beneficiaries. Ultimately, it helped me finally see that this experience is not just about me. I spent too much time focusing on my own guilt, when I should have been focusing on my role as a supporting figure. Luckily, one of the tasks they would like me to do during my time with SETU is to write success stories of the women they have worked with. I am most looking forward to this as it is a way for me to use my skills to share the stories of these women. Their stories deserve to be heard and their accomplishments deserve to be known, and it is my hope that I can successfully share them in the best way possible.

Hawie, International Development and Globalization, Nepal, Centre d'études de coopération international

As I reach the midpoint of my internship, I’ve started reflecting on some of the lessons learned during these past few months. The first one being that I have a lot more to offer than I thought. I came into this internship worrying about how I could contribute to my new team given my skill set and past work experiences. While I understood that there would be a learning curve, the idea of tackling any unfamiliar work on my own (to some degree) was nerve-wracking. I think a lot of interns face this worry too. We spend years in school and work here and there when we can – but this doesn’t always guarantee that the skills we learn from past jobs are transferable.

What I’ve come to realize is that we pick up useful skills in all areas of our lives. From the attitude you bring to your work, to the way you engage with social media.

I’ve recently joined the Nepal Country team, where I’ve been supporting the partner with their communications strategy. The local partner needed someone who could help them create promotional materials, maintain their website and organize materials to be shared with sponsors i.e., annual reports. I was excited for the opportunity to work on something so new, but when looking at my CV I worried about there being no communications experience. What I’ve come to realize is that even if I didn’t have formal communications experience, it didn’t necessarily mean I lacked the skills to carry out communications-like tasks.

One of the first tasks I worked on was redesigning and updating the organization’s brochures. Brochures are incredibly useful tools for raising an organization’s local awareness – particularly in areas that might not be able to access online communications. When creating these materials, it's important to bear in mind information overload and distracting formats or designs. Keep them simple but striking so that the information gets across, but that it’s also appealing and fits the organization’s theme. Once the message and theme are decided, it's also important to know which tool you’ll use. In this case, my mind immediately went to Canva. I used the tool when organizing an event years ago and remembered how intuitive it was when designing promotional materials. I never used it outside of the classroom, but the tools it offered fit the task I needed to complete. After some back and forth with the local partner, we were able to finalize a design for our brochures!  This may not be a new or surprising moment for some, but for myself, being able to pull skills from past experiences was a reassurance that I was capable of completing any task set in front of me. I hope this encourages some of you to step outside of your comfort zone and ask for tasks you wouldn’t normally take on because you would be very surprised what skills pop up in your memory when you need them the most!

Holly, Honours Bachelor in Conflict Studies and Human Rights, Communications Officer at CECI, Federation of Woman Entrepreneurs’ Associations of Nepal

Entering my 10th week as an Academic E-Volunteer with the Centre d'étude et de coopération Internationale, I have become acutely aware that in just a few short weeks, my International Internship wil come to a close.

As I reflect on the last few months, I feel a mix of emotions: I feel immense joy that I was able to participate in such an incredible opportunity, and I feel regret as well as I know that the experience must soon come to an end. I truly wish I could communicate the full extent of the impact that this internship has had on me both professionally and personally. Being an Academic E-Volunteer during a global pandemic has meant constantly adapting to new information, new people, new environments, and new tasks. Doing so has been an incredibly valuable learning opportunity - one that deviates remarkably from the classroom. In an International Internship, not only are you acquiring theoretical knowledge but you are also expected to put this knowledge into practice, something you seldom do in university lecture halls. Throughout this experience, I have acquired invaluable know-how in a work setting which includes but is not limited to: how to effectively use online working platforms, how to prepare for and conduct workshops, and cross-cultural communication, which is something unique to the international experience. In addition to professional experience, I feel as though this internship has helped me develop personally, particularly when it comes to confidence and stress management.

Being an Academic E-Volunteer through the University of Ottawa has been a completely satisfying and fulfilling opportunity, one which I would highly recommend to anyone considering participating. I know that what I have learned and what I have experienced through this opportunity will support me in all of my future endeavours, and for that I am incredibly grateful.

Holly, Honours Bachelor in Conflict Studies and Human Rights, Communications Officer at CECI, Federation of Woman Entrepreneurs’ Associations of Nepal

Having just finished my fourth week as an E-Volunteer for Centre d’Étude et Coopération Internationale (CECI), I feel as though I have finally found my groove. At the beginning of my mandate, due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, I found it difficult to navigate the remote workspace, as I’m sure many can relate to, and I had a hard time finding the right balance between work and play as I am completing my mandate from my home. However, with the help of the staff at CECI as well as the FSS International Internship Coordinators here at the University of Ottawa, I finally feel as though I am immersed in the E-Volunteer experience, and that I am doing work I can feel truly proud of. The advice and guidance they have provided throughout this experience has been invaluable.

I am working with the Federation of Woman Entrepreneurs’ Association of Nepal (FWEAN), a close local-partner of CECI, whose main focus is empowering Nepalese women to begin their  entrepreneurial journey by providing financial literacy education, by working toward poverty alleviation, and by helping women participate at all levels of the socio-economic sector. My official volunteer title is Communication Officer, which means I largely work with the FWEAN Communications Team in the various projects they have undertaken. I have been given a variety of tasks to complete throughout my mandate, and I would be happy to share just a few of them here to provide you with an idea of what my mandate entails! One of my tasks involves reviewing and editing the digital content the team develops to be posted on their social media accounts, ensuring it is clearly written, appealing, and fits with the FWEAN Branding Strategy which I am currently helping develop as well. Another one of my tasks which I am about to begin is the creation of a new FWEAN website with the help of the team’s IT Officer which I really look forward to! And, finally, another project I will be working on later in my mandate is helping the FWEAN team promote and facilitate the International Women’s Trade Expo which will occur online for the very first time this year.

One challenge that I’ve encountered thus far is working around the time difference between Nepal and where I am located, which means we occasionally have to schedule video conferences at irregular hours. However, this means my schedule at the day-to-day level is fairly flexible as I am principally working on my own time, which has helped me acquire organization and time-management skills that I would not have otherwise.

In spite of the challenge time zones pose, through the communications I have with FWEAN, I feel as though I am learning quite a lot about the culture and customs of Nepal, and I also feel strongly that this experience is enriching my education as a student specializing in Human Rights due to the particular focus of the organization on empowering women. I am able to put much of what I have learned through my program into practice, by integrating conflict and human rights concepts and methods into the work that I do and messaging I help produce. Thus far, I greatly appreciate this opportunity, and I cannot wait to visit Nepal one day!

Nicky, Conflict Studies and Human Rights, CECI Nepal, Blue Diamond Society, Research Intern

Even though the end of this internship is fast approaching, reflecting back on the start of the internship I still remember all the worries and challenges I had set in my head. When the Faculty of Social Sciences first sent out the email explaining this opportunity, I remember being so hesitant and waiting till the last minute to fill out the application. The concern of not physically being there and trying to do it virtually, which made me believe that it would not be the best fit for me or that I would not get the real experience. And what about building close relationships with my colleagues? What about the changes of routine and work environment? However, just as the title says, “never judge a book by its cover”, this was the greatest twelve weeks which will leave long-term effects in my life.

 To look back on the first week and realize how different everything is now, it is as if I don’t recognize it. I look back on all my challenges and worries and shrug because I realized there’s a first time for everything. A quote by Robert Louis Stevenson which said, “Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant.” For me, this means that if you seek every day for successes, you will be unaware of what you are putting out there, so rather than expecting success every day, focus on what you bring to the table “the seed you plant” so the things you do which contribute to your position.

As a research intern for CECI Nepal and Blue Diamond Society, I did not only learn a significant amount of information but I learned a lot about myself and my skills. I challenged my challenges and started understanding my work and doing better. The time difference was no longer an issue, I had bonding relationships with my colleagues and had done work which gave me the boost I needed to see my contribution- it was as though I built a daily routine without realizing it until I looked back at where I started.

The largest part of my position was to research and truly understand Blue Diamond Society but also the COVID-19 pandemic effects on the LGBTIQ+ community in Nepal. Everyone around the world experienced this pandemic differently, and to research and learn about the issues and the lives of others around the globe was eye-opening. Using the research and data collected I was asked to do multiple concept notes which I learnt will become a primary resource for BDS when doing continued research, presenting in front of other organizations and other future events. To hear this, was the greatest feeling as I remember the obstacles I faced in ensuring it would be done right- especially the first one. This shows my major contributions and self-growth as I was able to engage with the work around COVID-19 pandemics and other issues addressed across the country.

My challenges became my successes. In my final meeting with the team today, I expressed the concerns and skills I first had starting the internship and then how everything changed. When you judge a book by its cover, you either put it down or judge it before you even read it which affects your expectations. This is applied to the internship as well and honestly, although I judged it at first because of my worries, but I am grateful and proud to make it to the end of the book, or in this case, the internship. Every day was a different page in a chapter and it is totally worth making it to the end of the book. So, despite it being online, I still built relationships with my colleagues, contributed to the organizations, developed new skills and overcame fears and therefore, I lived the experience of an intern. What a great twelve weeks!

Sharuka, International Development and Globalization, CECI – Nepal Research Intern

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.

Nicky, Honours Conflict Studies and Human Rights, CECI Nepal, Blue Diamond Society, Research Intern

In just a blink of an eye, the COVID-19 pandemic was declared and the world changed, sooner and quicker than we all expected.  Everyone and everything such as schools and workplaces were shifted to a virtual world and is now considered, the new ‘normal’. If anyone would have asked me a year ago, a month before the pandemic, even the week before that this was going to happen, I would not believe them. I got the email from uOttawa about the international internship and the opportunity to be an e-volunteer and I thought to make this possible. I have always wanted to go abroad so I used this to my advantage where I said, “Let’s go International… but let’s do it virtual”. I knew from the start that being physically there in another country, would be a totally different experience than doing it virtually, however, I knew with time and adjustments, it would still be a great experience. I am part of the first group of people to experience this internship fully virtual, from start to end so welcome to the new world.

I am working for the Centre for International Studies and Cooperation (CECI) as a research intern in Nepal. CECI highly focuses on combating poverty and economic exclusion. In Nepal, the focus is on the economic empowerment of marginalized women and young women due to their identity such as gender, sexual orientation, caste, etc. When I began my internship with CECI Nepal, I was tasked to work with one of their partner organizations in supporting them and their work which focused on emphasizing attention toward economic and environmental rights. I chose to work along with Blue Diamond Society (BDS) in Nepal. This LGBTIQ rights organizations supports and advocates for the community in order for laws against homosexuality to be changed, in addition to the rights for marginalized transgender communities. As a research intern, I am tasked to conduct personal research to expand my knowledge of the organization, the host country, and the issues faced by the community. Furthermore, in recent days, I am tasked with a proposal to be sent regarding the economic concerns due to COVID-19 on the transgender community.

There is no denying that I would rather be doing this internship abroad.  However, remote work has allowed me to experience new challenges I never thought I would. The experience of new responsibilities and commitments I had never previously experienced allowed me to develop my skills as well as newer characteristics of myself. It opened my eyes to different perspectives of me and my work ethic. By nature, we are created to experience different scenarios, which assist in personal development as well as newer dimensions of life. The experience of massive time difference and limited communication forced my hand in being more independent and to try as hard as I can, but to never give up. Although there may seem as if there are many downsides of the time difference, it allowed me to work and expand on my time management skills while developing adaptability skills. As a result, it gave me different strategies in managing my stress and anxiety but also, the reality of a new life.

Lastly, the opportunity I’ve been given to do this internship abroad… but virtual, by CECI Nepal, has been the greatest experience for which I am grateful. The only thing coming in between you and this internship is the fear of “will I be able to do this?” And the answer is yes, you just have to want it, to face your fears and the obstacles along with it. Never pass on this opportunity, I highly recommend it, as you will NOT regret it.

Ranawk, International Economics and Development and Additional Minor - Statistics
Uniterra Nepal, Central Dairy Cooperative Association Lalitpur District Milk Producer Cooperative Union Ltd, Communication and Documentation Intern

In the second half of my internship, I was able to visit the field. For me, as a volunteer for the Lalitpur District Milk Producers Cooperative Union, this meant travelling to a nearby village of buffalo farms to interview farmers and start to develop a success story. One of the first things that CECI Nepal highlights during in country training is just how diverse the geography and climate in Nepal can be. By going to the field, I was able to see how an hour and many windy uphill roads later, it felt like I was in a completely different area. Looking out from the home I was staying in; the clouds were level with where I was standing.

By spending some time there, I was able to fully appreciate it what it means to be a buffalo farmer. Most families have 2-3 buffaloes and caring for them is not the only job. Vegetable gardens are also important sources of income which take a lot of work. I interviewed several households about their experience with the cooperative and which aspects they appreciated most. While many of the answers were similar, the breadth of responses when it came to how the cooperative has improved their livelihoods was very telling of the change that is possible.

We travelled to the village in the milk truck that travels from the village to the city every day to collect and sell the milk for the farmers. Before the cooperative existed and before the farmers were a part of it, they each individually held the responsibility of finding a way to transport and sell their milk. I can’t imagine how difficult that was but it is clear how great of a benefit it is now. The farmers also spoke about how the cooperative provides seeds for their vegetable gardens, helps advocate at the government level, and improves knowledge on health and sanitation practices for their buffalos.

My visit to the field was a reminder of how change may feel incremental at the individual level but over time, can really add up. This along with connecting with other interns made me appreciate how when we are in these roles and performing these internships, all of our actions and reactions are part of much larger global systems. Each intern before us and each intern after us contributes to our expectations and our host communities’ expectations. While this can sometimes create miscommunications, it is a testament to how powerful a global network is. For students who are considering this internship in the future, I recommend you come in with determination, self-awareness, and an open mind – there is so much you can learn.