I remember having two expectations for my summer internship when I applied to Harvard: working on a project with a gender focus and going to Africa. The first wish was granted, as I was given the incredible opportunity to work with initiatives aimed at boosting female labor force participation (FLFP) and reducing gender-based violence. But then a pandemic came through, and the experience in Africa was turned into an uncertain plan for the future.
Yes, there was frustration with the need to adjust my summer plans at Harvard. And yes, this is a first world problem and not comparable at all to all the pain and difficulties the pandemic has inflicted on the world so far. With this second thought in mind, I began to look for the silver lining of my current situation. Surprisingly, there were many aspects of it that I appreciated, and I came to enjoy my summer arrangement as I couldn't have expected.
To begin with, I get to know not only one country of Africa, but also India! My initial plan was to spend two months in Rwanda and one in South Africa. Unfortunately, the organization in Rwanda was not able to have me with them this summer, and I had to adapt my plans. OpenUp, the non-profit in South Africa where I was going to be working for one month, kindly accepted to have me for one extra month. And then, an unexpected opportunity came across my way: an internship to help an HKS alum with research on FLFP for the organization she is starting in India. Funding and time limitations wouldn't have allowed me to be both in Cape Town and Delhi this summer, but life made this possible on its own unpredictable way.
I also got to work with FLFP, a gender-related topic which has gained my heart and that I was not very familiar with. It has been three weeks since I started my internship in India and was introduced in more detail to the challenges of inducing FLFP in developing countries. So far, I have been able to see in practice how different countries ask for different policy responses. My brief introduction to a rich literature on the subject has showed me how the drivers of FLFP differ across countries, as do the innovative solutions to low female participation. This special opportunity is adding to my initial plan for the internship: to work with impact evaluation and gender-based violence. At OpenUp, the South-African civic-tech non-profit where I will start working in July, I will help structure a plan for organizational research design and contribute for research initiatives centered on understanding and preventing gender-based violence.
I could go on with a large list of reasons why I appreciate the way things turned out to be. If I were to summarize, I would add that I am also learning a lot about discipline, patience and adapting to unforeseeable circumstances; I am deeply connecting with people - professionally and personally - as I never considered possible at such long distances; and I am gradually changing my own beliefs and priorities. Had you asked me a couple of months ago if I would feel complete with this new plan, I would probably say no. Well, something is lost, but something is gained, in living everyday. So says Joni Mitchell in one of my favorite songs, which perfectly describes what I am going through now. I gained so much from my first weeks in the internship, and I am certain that there is a lot yet to come.