FSD - Internships in Kenya
FSD and its partner organizations in Kenya work to supply training, education, microfinance, health care, and other resources for women and their families. One of the largest obstructions to development in Kenya is the suffocation of information systems. FSD works with community-based organizations to address the environmental, economic, and social issues that affect them the most.
Five reasons to intern with us!
Reviews
90%Overall
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80%Overall
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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.
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About FSD
Founded in 1995, Foundation for Sustainable Development (FSD) works closely with small NGO's in project locations around the world to enhance the capacity of local communities, and address environmental conservation, healthcare, social and economic issues, and a variety of other issues. FSD operates in a collaborative manner with local communities by engaging in capacity building, grant writing, and international development programs. Visit the FSD website to learn more about how you can get involved.
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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.