Interns' Voices

Amanda Boyce

image previewHi, I'm Amanda Boyce. I am a 21 year old student from the U.S. I go to Arizona State University and will be entering my fourth year studying political science  in the fall. I have been fortunate enough to have the opportunity to study abroad here in Ghana. I came to Accra with my professor from Arizona and for two weeks our group of eight students heard lectures from professors at the University of Ghana, Legon, and toured the country. We have been to Cape Coast, Kumasi, and places nearby like Ada. We have had a wonderful time coming to know Ghana, Accra, and the people here.

Personally, I am studying political science because I want to become a politician. I have always been motivated to help people, and feel that I can do a lot of good if I am the one helping create policy. However, before becoming an elected official I plan on working with many NGOs and learning about all areas of human need and development. That is why I am so grateful to be working with Women Peace and Security Networks (WIPSEN) - Africa. This organization is young but already has accomplished a great deal. And although I will only be here a short time, I have already learned to look at women's issues in a whole new light, and see details of various situations that I otherwise would not have seen.

This is my first experience working with an NGO, and as such I have gained incredible insight into how these organizations assess the needs of people and then face the challenge of coming up with a way to meet those needs. This has inspired me to take these new skills (i.e., creating and analyzing surveys, hosting dialogues, mobilizing stakeholders, etc.) and apply them within a volunteer organization I work with in the US called the General Federation of Women's Clubs. On a broader scale, my time in Ghana, as well as with WIPSEN specifically, has shown me quite a bit about the details of state development. This is a topic I have studied in the states, but nothing can make it as clear as being in a developing nation and seeing its challenges first hand. What I look forward to, is using these skills and information to make me a more well rounded politician in the future, with a well educated global perspective.

I know this experience will be invaluable to me as I continue down my path to political office. So I'd like to thank WIPSEN-Africa for giving me this opportunity, and the people of Ghana for the wonderful hospitality I have experienced in my time here.


AURELIEN DUCLOUX

My name is Aurelien Ducloux; I am studying Political Science at the "Institut d'Etudes Politiques of Lyon" in France. I am interning with WIPSEN-Africa from September 2008 to February 2009 and I already experienced a lot here. I am proud to be the very first man working for WIPSEN-Africa, which helps us to break out stereotypes during our activities: a man can also defend women's right. I had the opportunity to travel two times to Sierra Leone to participate in several activities such as trainings, meetings and lecture series in schools. It is my first time working in an NGO and I am learning a lot in terms of knowledge and skills not only at an administrative level (reports, budgets, research…) but also at a fieldwork level (trainings, organization, taking notes…). 



GERALDINE GRAINDORGE

 


I am a French student in Political Sciences at the "Institut d'Etudes Politiques of Lyon" in France. I am 20 years old and decided to spend 6 months of my third year of studies in Accra, Ghana, as an intern at WIPSEN-Africa. Being an intern has helped me to concretize some of the issues and concepts I learnt at university and to acquire experience in programs development and implementation in an NGO. It is also an eye-opener, since it has given me the opportunity to know a different environment from where I live, and to assess some of the needs of women in Africa.


Omolara Balogun
                                          
Observing my internship placement with WIPSEN-Africa was a very significant learning experience in my career in my career development. WIPSEN-Africa as a women-led and focused organisation gave me immense opportunity to increase my knowledge in gender affairs, particularly women's involvement in peace and security related issues; women's participation in leadership, decision-making and governance processes in the African continent. I had greater opportunity to enhance and demonstrate my acquired skills in programmes conceptualization, organization, implementation and management.  WIPSEN-Africa offered me the platform to exhibit my academic achievement in Peace and Conflict studies significantly in contributing to the development of a region-specific training manual on "Gender and Multidimensional Peace Support Operations in West Africa". This accorded me clearer understanding of the complexities of United Nations Peace Support Missions across the globe with special focuses on West Africa and the urgent need to mainstream gender into peacekeeping institutions and mechanisms. My involvement in this project gave me insight to critically examine the changing trend in the evolution of peace support operations vis-à-vis the contemporary demand for a shift from traditional peacekeeping to a more comprehensive, multifaceted and integrated pattern of Peace support engagement.  My few months in WISPEN-Africa granted me opportunity to interact and dialogue with experts in the strategic areas of gender development, women peace and security, and security sector reformation, and most importantly created avenues to increase and strengthen my networking with peace and conflict practitioners, gender experts and a number of civilian actors across the continent and indeed the whole world. The level of commitment infused into the internship mentorship process in WIPSEN-A is an intriguing aspect worth mentioning. I worked directly with the programmes department under the directive and supervision of a dynamic Programmes Director, who gave me immense opportunity to get involved in various tasks - a process fondly referred to as "multitasking". "Multitasking" permitted me to interconnect with the different departments of the organisation within the few months of my internship placement – I was involved in the implementation of some Administrative tasks, while also fulfilling my responsibilities in research and programmes activities. The flexibility of the organisation created a pleasant environment for me, to spread my learning tentacles and acquired valuable knowledge and skills germane to NGOs focused on Women, Peace and Security. Staffs' amiability and constant assistance made my stay very comfortable and memorable. WISPEN-A also helped in sharpening my cultural diversity consciousness and management, as there are over four (4) different nationals in the pool of staff.    Finally, I remain grateful to all management and staff of WIPSEN-A for giving me such an invaluable opportunity to showcase my skills and knowledge and for their kind gesture in acknowledging my input to the organization during my short stay.  Ms. Omolara T. Balogun July, 2009