I'm sure many of you are wondering what I am actually doing on this internship. Well........let me share with you. This internship is to develop my leadership skills (I'm basically a born leader, so there isn't a whole lot of work to done). I will be working with the Rwanda/Burundi area director for Food for the Hungry throughout the summer. The director's name is Dwight Jackson, he is a tid- bit intimidating to work with considering he was a sociology professor, but his laid back personality gives me comfort. My internship activities will consist of reading program proposals and assessments, attending meetings, research, and observing whats going on in the field.
So far I haven't done a whole lot, but I was able to sit in on a regional directors meeting (area directors from the Congo and Uganda) and take a trip to a refugee camp. The meeting was very helpful for me in understanding a little bit about how running a non-profit area works. Plus I felt like I was one of the big dogs......ruff ruff! And today I visited my first refugee camp!! The camp was about an half an hour south of Kigali by the Burundi border. The refugee's fled Rwanda to Tanzania in 1960 and now the Tanzania government has literally forced them back to Rwanda. The Tanzanian government didn't recognize them as Tanzania citizens and either does the Rwandan government because they left so long ago. So basically they have no nationality, it's pretty sad . There are about 500 families in the camp and an estimate of 1,100 people. For the most part they live in mud constructed huts with thatch roofs. Another intern and I, along with other FH staff members walked throughout the camp talking with the refugees and trying to get an understanding of what problems exist. Even though it was really hard encountering poverty at that scale, it was an awesome experience that I am glad I had. Also, I have been trying to post pictures but the computer won't let me. So once I figure it out I will post a bunch of pictures so you guys can see what I am talking about. Welp, I need to go to bed, I love you all.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
Aaron, great to hear from you and see some comments on your blog. I'm in AZ now and saw your truck the other day. It is happy but misses you. Sorry about the electricity, does that mean the blowers in the hot-tub don't work? :-D Sounds like a great place, much better than I expected. I know you will leave an impact there and I can't wait to hear more (and see more) about it. Take care.
aunt debby
Post a Comment