Internships

International Development Internship

Ariane Desmarais,

In the spring of 2010, Kathryn Hansen and I had the privilege and opportunity to spend six weeks in the southern highlands of Tanzania. Selected for the International Development internship for politics students, we were charged with conducting research for a local women’s organization under the umbrella of the Canadian NGO, Highlands Hope.

A typical day in our Tanzanian adventure involved meeting new people and listening to them share their life stories. Every morning we would wake up, eat our peanut butter, banana and honey (with the occasional bee) toast, with a nice cup of chai and await the arrival of George Sanga, our translator. Then we would make our way to Ramadhani Primary school, greeting local shop owners, and telling kindergarten students to hurry up and not be late for school.  Initially this walk was a bit overwhelming and awkward, as we were the talk of the village and everyone would look or try to talk to us. However, before long we were no longer interesting, the short 25-minute walk turned more enjoyable, asking George an incessant amount of questions.

Once we arrived at school, we would head to the Principal’s office and begin interviewing randomly selected students classified as orphans and vulnerable children.  We would ask them a number of questions concerning their living conditions, how much food they had to eat, where they slept, and who takes care of them. Many of the answers we received were difficult to comprehend. Many of these students were dealing with issues or had experienced things that no one their age ever should. Nevertheless, these conversations also provided valuable insight into Tanzanian culture. We were constantly impressed with how hard working and determined the people in Tanzania were.
 
When lunch arrived (often ugali and salad) we would eat with the Principal or sometimes help the kindergarten teachers prepare porridge for their students. This was probably our favourite part of the day, since the kindergarten students, apart from being unbelievably adorable, were keen to get to know us. In the afternoon we would either continue with our interviews or head out to the market to purchase food for dinner.
 
If we continued our interviews, at the conclusion of the school day we would head out with the principal and a few previously selected students to visit their homes and converse with their parents or guardians. Home visits were often the most difficult part of our day, as there were many emotional moments, not solely on our behalf, but also for the Principal and George. It was evident that many of the families we visited had difficulty putting food on the table or providing school supplies and uniforms for their children.

If we did not have home visits scheduled, we would often go rehearse with the Kibena youth choir for the next Sunday’s performance. These brief hours spent with the youth group were always highly enjoyable, as these were always spent laughing, dancing and singing. Indeed by the end of our stay three Canadian girls in an African choir did not seem strange in the least!
 
Our experience was not only a valuable academic experience, but it was also an emotional experience that allowed us to grow both as students and human beings.