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| | Internships are an integral part of the learning experience and an entrée to future employment. The International Development Program encourages students to pursue internships and research opportunities in developing countries during the summer and in Washington, DC, during the school year. | Finding Internships Summer 2009 Internships
Summer 2006 Internships
Summer 2005 Internships | | Finding Internships | Many students create their own internships as a result of tips and job announcements from IDEV faculty and staff, and from the SAIS Career Services office. In addition, the IDEV Listserv lists weekly job and internship opportunities, many originating from IDEV’s vast development network and dedicated alumni. IDEV also collaborates with institutions to offer students formal program internships as well as other SAIS programs, including the African Studies and Asian Studies programs, to send students on research or development-related internships.
Closer to home, Washington, DC is rich in opportunities for internships with development organizations that formulate policy and review fieldwork case studies. Whether working with the World Bank, the National Democratic Institute, Conservation International, Bread for the World, the Center for Development and Population Activities, or another organization while studying at SAIS, internships enable students to put their academic skills to practical use.
Many students create their own internships as a result of tips and job announcements from IDEV faculty and staff, and from the SAIS Career Services office. In addition, the IDEV Listserv lists weekly job and internship opportunities, many originating from IDEV’s vast development network and dedicated alumni. IDEV also collaborates with institutions to offer students formal program internships as well as other SAIS programs, including the African Studies and Asian Studies programs, to send students on research or development-related internships.
Closer to home, Washington, DC is rich in opportunities for internships with development organizations that formulate policy and review fieldwork case studies. Whether working with the World Bank, the National Democratic Institute, Conservation International, Bread for the World, the Center for Development and Population Activities, or another organization while studying at SAIS, internships enable students to put their academic skills to practical use. Arranging internships is facilitated by the fact that Washington, D.C., as discussed above, is the hub of international development in the United States.' Community Outreach
Tha various clubs and groups formed by I-Dev students provide selected opportunities for students to work on community development programs in the Washington DC area, in collaboration with local institutions. Other Opportunities
IDEV students often attend talks, panel discussions, and seminars held in Washington, D.C. by such groups as the Society Fo International Development, of which IDEV is an institutional member, the Center For Global Development, the Carnegie Endowment For International Peace, the Institute For International Economics, and the Brookings Institution, all of which are within two blocks of SAIS. Courses Offered
Some IDEV courses are offered in alternate years so as to give students a wide selection of courses during their two years at SAIS. Students spending only two or three semesters at SAIS/Washington must plan carefully to be able to take alternate-year IDEV courses. Students may consult the IDEV web site to see which courses are offered in a give year.
For IDEV students only, the program offers internships with a range of partner insitutions, through the Summer Internship Project. Placements are pre-arranged and grant funding is available for each internship. For Summer 2006, there will be approximatley twelve internships offered, and the rules and procedures for application are outlined in a separate document. Please contact Cinnamon Dornsife cdornsife@jhu.ed with a copy to the Program Coordinator at idev@jhu.edu for additional information.NOTE: ONLY IDEV STUDENTS ARE ELIGIBLE TO PARTICIPATE IN THE SUMMER INTERNSHIP PROJECT. | | | Below are examples of internships IDEV students have participated in the past: | | Summer 2006 Internships | 
Morgan Bushey
Nikki Duncan
The Fomunyoh Foundation
Bamenda, Cameroon
Ferris FundThis summer I interned with another SAIS-IDEV student (Nikki Duncan) at The Fomunyoh Foundation (TFF), an organization that promotes democratization and human rights in Cameroon. During the nine-week internship, we drafted an organizational chart and structure for TFF, designed a national scholarship program for Cameroonian students and taught capacity building workshops to local NGOs. We also visited more than 15 women’s organizations, agricultural federations, orphanages and common initiative groups to assess how TFF can best aid those already working at a grassroots level to improve the standard of living in Cameroon. This summer allowed me to experience first-hand the many day-to-day challenges of development work in Africa. It gave me the opportunity to observe and contribute to the work of the men, women and children in villages.
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Sara Giannnozzi
Behrhorst Partners for Development
San Martin Jilotepeque, Guatemala
Partially funded from the Osgood Fund
I worked for Behrhorst Partners for Development, the internship was - partially - funded by the Osgood fund. My job there was to investigate the possibility for Behrhorst to expand its activity into developing a structured microcredit program. I worked primarily in five communities, talking to women to identify small economic projects they were interested in and developing guidelines for the concession of loans. My work was primarily in the income generation component of their projects, but I was also able to observe Behrhorst's work in its primary focus areas, such as health, nutrition, water and sanitation.
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Aviva Kutnick
FINCA International
Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan
The Kuhn Fund, administered by Career Services
This summer I worked in Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan with FINCA International. As part of a 3-person research team, I conducted an impact analysis of FINCA’s microfinance programs. After one week of training in Washington, D.C., I spent 5 weeks working in each country, for a total of 10 weeks in the field. I worked closely with local management, credit officers and was supervised by FINCA staff in Washington, D.C,. I personally interviewed over 200 recipients of micro credit loans. Our research team compiled the data collected in the field, analyzed and provided both written and oral reports of findings and recommendations to local management and FINCA headquarters. | 
Colin McKee
ASrIA
Hong Kong, China
Socially Responsible Fund
I spent the summer interning for the Association for Sustainable and Responsible Investment in Asia (ASrIA), a not for profit dedicated to promoting corporate responsibility and sustainable investment in the Asia Pacific region. Members include investment institutions as well as other organizations with interests in sustainable finance. The aim of my internship was to write a report on the investment climate in Asia’s water sector based on a review of the region’s publicly-traded water utilities and wastewater treatment companies. The report assessed the state of water pollution and scarcity, demand scenarios across sectors, and specific technologies and business models that demonstrate investment potential. The experience provided unique insight into an investment area where business and sustainability goals converge to provide inexpensive and clean water solutions for human development and economic growth.
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Shanna O’Reilly
Associacion Pro Derechos Humanos (APRODEH)
Lima, Peru
Funded through Career Services
This summer I had an extremely rewarding experience working for a Peruvian organization called Asociacion Pro Derechos Humanos (APRODEH) in Lima. I designed a field research project on the HIV/AIDS prevention needs in Lima and throughout Peru. The research included interviews with young people on their knowledge and awareness of HIV/AIDS, and how it affects their sexuality. Based on the results of the study, I wrote up recommendations and a strategic plan which will be submitted for funding in 2007.
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Lawrence Wessel
World Relief
Turame, Bujunbura, Burundi
Partly funded by Top Up Funds
Over this past summer I worked for World Relief’s microfinance institution, Turame, in Bujumbura, Burundi. My main task was to bring Turame into compliance with the recently drafted Burundian microfinance legislation. My due diligence work led me to meet with representatives from the chamber of commerce, central bank and commercial court as I researched the legal and fiscal implications of Turame registering as a separate entity.
During my stay, I was also able to go to the DRC as an international observer to witness the country’s first democratic elections in 40 years.
Living in Africa has been a great experience too. Burundi just came out of a 12-year civil war and the country is booming with activity. For my part, I was touched by people’s warmth and generosity in spite of their poverty. I have also become a fan of ugali (manioc dough) and goat stew!
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Daniel Yawitz
Kompanion Financial Group / Mercy Corps Kyrgyzstan
Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan
SIP Fund
This summer I worked with Kompanion Financial Group in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. Kompanion is a microfinance organization created by Mercy Corps, with an extensive network of offices covering the entire country.
With my background in IT, I've been able to work on several technology-related investment projects that will help Kompanion expand their delivery of financial services even further into the rural regions of this sparsely-populated, mountainous country.
In addition, I've worked with the management and credit teams to develop new procedures for group lending, which should increase Kompanion's efficiency and make the borrowing quicker and easier for clients. This project is based on analysis and research that I conducted early in my internship, as well as building off the work of a previous SAIS intern.
I have also had the chance to learn about Central Asia, a region of the world I admittedly knew nothing about before arriving. I am still trying to understand why no one understands my Spanish here. | | Summer 2005 Internships | 
Liana Bianchi
Concern
Gonave, Haiti
Concern Funded
I worked for Concern, an Irish NGO based in Dublin, as a Livelihoods Intern on Ile de la Gonave, Haiti. I did rural development research on income-generating and expenditure patterns on four case study villages on the plateau and coast. I learned about the livelihoods framework for analysis and development, as well as writing and implementing a survey and Rapid Rural Assessment activities.
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Mollie Fair
Mercy Corps
Guatemala
Sullivan Fund
Last summer I interned for Mercy Corps in Guatemala. I worked in one of Mercy Corps' field offices in the rural municipality of Tucuru on a Community Health and Microcredit project. I accompanied and observed basic health teams, the micro-credit team, and the community organizers and contributed to the preparation of organizational plans and reports. The experience was extremely rewarding as I learned a considerable amount about the challenges of implementing a health project in extremely rural, poor, and indigenous communities and witnessed the impact that the project is having in mobilizing community organizations to respond to local health issues. | 
Scott Gaul
Mercy Corps
Location: Kyrgyzstan
Top-Off Fund
This summer I worked for Mercy Corps in Kyrgyzstan. There I worked for Kompanion Financial Group, a microfinance institution that Mercy Corps had founded. My main task was to work on a cost accounting project which analysed the loan origination and loan administration processes. This involved working with the loan officers to see how they go about their work. I was able to see how group and individual lending worked and to see how microfinance clients conducted their business. The project also required an understanding of the operating costs of the institution, so I was able to gain an understanding of the financial position of Kompanion and how the various departments worked together. In addition, I worked on smaller projects during the summer related to bonus policy, accounting workflow and creating a calendar for the Mercy Corps water projects in Kyrgyzstan. Overall I got some feel for what life in a developing country was like, how an NGO works and what microfinance is like on the ground. The photo of the women above, would be typical of microfinance clients in Kyrgyzstan (although these women were not Kompanion clients themselves).
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Lauren Reese
Thaneakea Phum, Cambodia (TPC)
Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Top-Off Fund
This summer I worked as an intern at Thaneakea Phum, Cambodia (TPC), a microfinance institution in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. My work included producing the company’s first annual report, writing funding proposals and revising the operations manual. I spent much of the summer traveling around Cambodia interviewing field staff and village bank clients in order to produce the new operations manual. Seeing microfinance at work was an inspiring experience and helped provide a meaningful context for my classroom education at SAIS.
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Jeanne Simon
CREDIT MFI
Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Ferris Fund
I spent eight weeks working for CREDIT MFI in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. CREDIT was founded by World Relief in 1992, and currently serves over 12,000 clients, targeting rural women and the very poor. During my internship, I partnered with a microfinance technical specialist from World Relief to develop a marketing strategy for CREDIT. As part of this process, I performed the background information gathering, such as competitor analysis and market research. I also conducted client focus groups in the field, interviewing our customers about their opinions of the organization and ways we could serve them better. I found myself sitting cross-legged with five clients on a wooden platform bed under one of their homes (traditional Cambodian houses are on stilts, given the seasonal flooding), asking about their experiences with the organization, with chickens running around beneath us. At one woman's home, we interviewed her while she sat shaping clay into huge pots, which she sells at the local market. Even the poorer clients seemed proud of their homes and eager to have us come and speak with them. While at CREDIT, I also developed training materials to help the credit officers promote our loans and savings products more effectively, and worked with the Operations Director to establish new reporting requirements.
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Sunita Verada
Mercy Corps
Alta Verapaz, Guatemala
Sullivan Fund
This summer I had the opportunity to work with Mercy Corps in the Alta Verapaz region of Guatemala. The experience afforded me the chance to work with native Guatemalans on a community health program. More specifically, I assisted the staff with a new component of the program, a microcredit project. My work this summer included helping to create curriculum for training sessions of loan recipients, organizing an accounting system for the loans, and analyzing the strengths and weaknesses of the program.
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Briana Wilson
Centro De Asesoria Laboral (CEDAL)
Lima, Peru
Top-Off Fund
I was an intern in Lima, Peru from May to August with a local labor rights NGO, Centro de Asesoría Laboral (CEDAL). They hired me to help them draft a diagnostic report on the current human rights situation across Peru. I was assigned to the Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ESC) section. More specifically, I wrote the chapters in Spanish on labor, union and social security rights in Peru.
The report I worked on will eventually be used to draft national human rights legislation in Peru. Peru is internationally obligated to draft this legislation. The government contracted my NGO to write an assessment on human rights in Peru so they can see where legislation is missing and fill in the gaps.
My experience with CEDAL was pretty interesting. I learned an enormous amount regarding the International Labor Organization and international law regarding ESC rights and greatly improved my Spanish abilities in all areas. All these skills should prove to be very helpful in my future career.
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