The first weeks of this internship have been primarily spent orienting myself to the situation of food insecurity in Bangladesh and learning about Padakhep’s initiatives to combat it.  I have also been assisting in preparing grant proposals, and doing research into how Padakhep might improve certain projects. However, this month has also been a constant negotiation between my mentors and me to determine exactly where my efforts should be concentrated. Of course, both Padakhep and I would like this to be the most successful internship possible. However, finding a common understanding of what this entails is a more complicated issue than I’d assumed.

This is partly due to the constraints in establishing these types of internships from abroad; for both the Canadian and the foreign partner, clearly articulating the intern’s purpose is a significant obstacle. While setting the parameters for my internship entailed several formalities, in many ways, the exact details could only be determined upon my arrival. It is during these initial discussions, that we could each more specifically express what we hoped from this internship.

However, even upon my arrival, understanding my role has been more difficult than I foresaw. Padakhep is a well-established NGO with approximately 4,800 staff, and thus unsurprisingly, it is difficult to find a coherent and distinct gap in their operations which I can assist in, particularly seeing as my capacity is constrained by my minimal experience in both agricultural projects and in Bangladesh. Considering my hesitations in student internships outlined in my last blog, I have been trying to articulate my willingness to complete tasks which I feel are within my capacity (e.g. report writing or outsider observations) and do not require excessive assistance.

Padakhep has been responsive to my concerns and delegated responsibilities which match these capabilities. However, I have had to continual re-define my position. In doing so, it has sometimes been a challenge to respectfully express my discomfort with tasks I feel are outside of my skill-set. For instance, in considering the possibility that I will engage in field research, I can’t help but wonder if it is practical for me to do this work, particularly given the short duration of this internship and the extra assistance (e.g. translator and extensive background research) that I would require. In attempting to navigate such situations, I ask myself if I should accept their judgement-call in designating my role or if I should be more insistent in explaining my hesitations? And, if I feel unqualified for the task they request of me, what are the consequences if I decide to accept or not?

Attempting to resolve these issues has highlighted the bureaucratic and political discussions which come with determining one’s role as a student intern. Even though I knew there were limits to my potential contribution, I think I underestimated both the inter-cultural impediments to deciding what this might be and the time burden it might place upon Padakhep. It was perhaps naive to assume that upon my arrival, a position would simply become clear. This has certainly been a good lesson in effective dialogue and led me to consider how to improve these internships. Ensuring that the partnership is initiated with a clear understanding of what is and isn’t within the capacity of the intern, as well as more open dialogue on how each partner benefits, would help. Obviously, this is easier said than done. However, another fairly easy way might be for AUCC to designate a portion of the program funds towards an honorarium for the organization, outside of any funds they might receive for administrative costs. While this may not compensate for the variety of resources which facilitating an internship requires, it seems to be an appropriate expression of gratitude.

It is also important to recognize that we are the first Trent interns to be posted with Padakhep and thus are expectedly encountering certain obstacles. However, ideally, our input, along with that of Padakhep, will lay the groundwork for improvements to future internships. These initial bumps can be addressed and prevented through a more comprehensive understanding of each partner’s role. For instance, if this became an established internship, it would allow Padakhep more time beforehand to determine the ideal function of the interns given their current operations and the particular interests and skill-set of each intern. In addition, it would enable students to do more substantial research before departure as an introduction to the development context in Bangladesh. I suppose that all of this has once again reaffirmed to me that development is messy work which requires consistent discussion, negotiation and flexibility.

Category: Bangladesh, Category, Country, On location // 1 Comment »