Frances Sara, International Development and Globalization, 4th year
Country of fieldwork: Nepal
Canadian NGO: Alternatives Canada
Local NGO: Nepal Development Initiative (NEDI)
Although I have only been in Nepal for one month, I have been able to critically reflect on the skills and themes covered in the classes I have taken throughout my time studying at the University of Ottawa. At my local NGO, I have been tasked with researching, planning, and executing a comprehensive research paper aimed at creating a program or initiative within the community based on my findings.
While my time at 91精品黑料吃瓜 has prepared me for things like secondary research and essay writing, I quickly learned that school work and NGO work are quite different. My experience conducting a research project at 91精品黑料吃瓜 involved collaborating with classmates to study a topic of our choice using a method assigned by the professor. Over 4 months, we gathered data, coded, analyzed, and wrote a full research report on students鈥 experiences with racism on campus. The process taught me so much about proper research methods, group work, and data analysis, which are valuable skills that will help me during my internship.
One requirement of the internship is producing a full research report, which my research work at 91精品黑料吃瓜 has prepared me for. However, this project is almost fully self-guided, with NGO staff helping arrange contact with research subjects and provide feedback/advice, which is quite different from the heavily structured group work I鈥檓 used to at 91精品黑料吃瓜. This project is my own, which gives me freedom to explore my topic, waste management, but also adds more pressure to make sure the research and subsequent program is a success, and make a tangible change in Kathmandu.
This has reframed how I view my work, making me more invested in my work since I know it will have a real impact, in contrast to research in a classroom setting, which shifted my focus more on the professor鈥檚 expectations and ultimately my grade in the course.
While I am excited to bring about change through my internship, I am also wary of imposing my Western bias on Nepali society. Something my program has taught me is that development work can cause more harm than good when Western researchers come to developing countries and try to make change within the community based on their view of what society would look like, rather than focusing on local needs.
This thought is always in the back of my mind, and I have done a lot of secondary research to understand Nepali culture, the issues the city faces, and why it faces these problems. I have also asked for guidance from Nepali staff at my NGO to ensure the research and program I implement on better waste management within Kathmandu is relevant and does not exclude any community members, particularly those who are underrepresented.
In my research experience, I have never worked in a developing country and have never had to apply such themes. I am sure I will make mistakes and run into many issues during my internship, but I am glad to have learned this knowledge throughout my program. The mistakes and successes I experience during my internship will teach me practical lessons that cannot be taught in class, and ultimately prepare me for a career in development.