FSD Internships in Kenya

I traveled to Kakamega with FSD in 2010 on a GST for 4 weeks. A fellow student at SUNY Geneseo had discovered FSD and decided to put an ad in the college newspaper to see how interested other students might be. I luckily stumbled upon it and it has truly shaped my life for the better.

8 other students and I worked abroad with Daisy Special School on three different initiatives; solar cooking, water harvesting and income generation. Before I got to Kakamega, I had had an understanding of sustainable grassroots development, but had never seen or understood how to implement it.

I was incredibly impressed with how FSD managed to not only help us complete huge projects (we planted over 300 trees for both nutrients and harvesting, learned/taught Daisy how to use solar cookers, and installed/taught maintenence of three 250 gallon water tanks), but FSD also gave us lessons in Swahili, alotted us numerous days reviewing our progress and our ever progressing understanding of "sustainable development", provided us host families, and even brought us to neighboring towns for a greater understanding of Kenyan culture.

After my internship I went on to graduate with a degree in International Relations in the Developing World and am looking forward to spending 6 months working in Kenya as a Program Coordinator. I can't wait to help teach others even a little bit of what FSD has taught me.

The saying goes "teach a man to fish and he eats forever". FSD has taught me not only how to teach a man to fish, but also to teach him how to teach others, so the whole community can eat.

I had participated in two month-long global experiences with different organizations prior to my FSD program. FSD stood out with its emphasis on community partnership and sustainability. They really made participants think about their role within the project, and how they could empower the community to take an active role in the project. This was incredibly refreshing, as the other trips I went on encouraged a savior mentality.
With the FSD program I had an opportunity to interact with locals daily, and it was an enriching experience. Living standards for the students were incredible, and they all greatly enjoyed their home stays.

After several months of research into ALL abroad organizations, FSD stood out as best bang for my buck, and I loved the mission of long-term sustainability. I interned with FSD in Kenya in 2007 for many reasons, but mainly to move my career into a different direction, toward my passion for giving back to others in the world after being stuck in a dead-end job after I graduated college. The experience is very challenging (mostly on a personal level) and requires initiative, self-reflection, and flexibility. It is set up to provide both independence/freedom with what you get out of it and contribute, while always having a strong support network (and educational trainings) through the staff, host-organization, and family- as well as other interns. I was there during political unrest and ended up being evacuated early. Little did I know at the time how much FSD impacted me. As I left Kenya I realized that it was so life-changing that I needed to return, and it had to be with FSD. I returned as a field coordinator with FSD and now I work in headquarters. Yes, I am a staff now, but I want you to know my story and why I have stayed with FSD. My internship in Kenya required me to take initiative and learn about what sustainability REALLY looks like in the field, and completely shifted my idealistic views of international community-based development work. My biggest take away from my internship- development is not about helping others and giving them solutions, it is about collaboration, relationship-building and appreciating different perspectives.

Also- I LOVED my host-family and am still in touch!

My internship through FSD at the end of 2007 was incredible, a truly foundational experience for me that changed how I see the world and the role I want to play in it. I learned about other cultures and world views, about self dependence and international travel, what it is really like to be a foreigner, and about the complex challenges facing sustainable development. Kenya was a wonderful place to be and learn, and the support and logistics provided by FSD were outstanding. I would do it again in a heart beat!

I had a wonderful experience interning in Kenya. One thing to know is that there isn't much guidance. Like the headline states, it's a very do-it-yourself kind of program. While you receive some guidance from the program staff, they're not with you everyday in your field placement. I'm not sure how it was for everybody, but based on my experience and the other interns in my group, our host organizations didn't provide much guidance either. They were eager to help and extremely excited to have interns, but expected you to be an expert on everything. Coming straight out of undergrad, I, unfortunately, was not. However, what better way to learn and gain experience than to be thrown right in and expected to find a problem and solve it on your own.

It's was an incredible experience. Not just because of the internship, but living in a developing country with the locals. My host family and neighbors constantly reminded me how excited they were to have someone from the US in their village who was there to get to know them as people and to help them. Apparently, most people from the US and Europe that go to Kenya are only there for the animals and the landscape. So while the internship was intended for work experience and to help the people in the community, it was way more than that. Not to be too cliche, but it was a life changing experience and I feel like the community members and my host family helped me way more than I helped them.

I won't sit here and lie, saying that it was a piece of cake. There were lots of tough things to deal with such as the language barrier, many shocking/uncomfortable cultural practices, lack of time management and structure in working conditions, the food, and the living conditions in general. There were also the obvious "issues", if you will, of being the only white person in a village and being fairly isolated, but again, I wouldn't trade the experience for the world. All the absurdities, all the awkwardness, all the frustrations, all the loneliness, all the hardships were completely worth it and resulted in an amazing growth experience, both personally and intellectually.

I would highly recommend this program to anyone who has an interest in development work but doesn't have much or any experience living abroad, isn't sure they want to devote 2 years to the Peace Corps, or just wants a new life experience.

I chose FSD's Kakamega program because I knew it would get me out of my comfort zone. There are very few Americans there so it was like being in a fish bowl (something everyone should experience at some point in their life).

I lived with a great family, I enjoyed the organization I interned with. I don't know if I made a huge difference but that is expected when you are only some place for a short period of time. I was definitely impacted though. I really appreciated my relationship with the other interns and two of the staff members (they are no longer there though). The onsight FSD director was pretty much non-existent my entire time there. We also went on a couple really great trips which made it easier to explore the area.

I'm happy I had this experience in my life.