For six months I interned at Caritas Gulu Archdiocese in Gulu, Uganda. I had numerous responsibilities including writing reports and proposals, making field visits, writing success stories and contributing to capacity building. Unfortunately there was minimal field visits, and I can’t stand sitting in an office for 8 + hours staring at a computer, but working in the developmental world requires a lot of desk work – writing proposals to acquire funding for projects and writing reports for visibility and accountability. Sitting in the office for so long not interacting with beneficiaries really de-motivated me; it got to the point where writing proposals was more of going through the motions than focusing on the “why?” aspect. I always wondered if it was the same for some of the other staff members as well. When I finally had a chance to go out into the field and speak to our beneficiaries to write success stories, I was reminded why Caritas exists, why I chose to switch careers and work in developing countries helping those who need it. I went back to the office and expressed my gratitude for the work Caritas has done and tried to ensure the staff understood that what they do truly makes a difference. It is still difficult to stay indoors at a desk all day writing reports and proposals, but thinking back to the successes reminds me why the office work is a necessity.

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