Isla Internships Abroad - Global Development

Amazing trip that really allowed me to grow and see the beautiful culture of India. Extremely difficult for first time travelers. The diet is restrictive, there is a large language barrier, and many of the conditions on the site are not what we are typically used to in the Western world.
ISLA was a great resource, however, there is little they can do once you are at the site. It is purely up to the people at Apna Ghar to attend to you. This can become difficult as english is not spoken fluently by a majority of the staff.

My name is Jaclyn Williamson and I am a graduate student of the Colorado School of Public Health currently earning my Master's in Public Health (MPH) with a concentration in Global Health and Health Disparities.

This summer I was hired as a Global Health Development Intern with the Foundation for Community Development and Empowerment (FCDE) through the ISLA internship program. I was based in the FCDE Office of Kasese, Uganda.

In this position, I provided strategic support in grant preparation, program development and implementation, and NGO capacity building to a network of 4 FCDE local partner organizations (LPOs) combatting global health issues.

I was responsible for creating, conducting, and analyzing the results of multiple needs assessments across varying target populations to assess social, behavioral, environmental, cultural, and biological factors contributing to health outcomes. I also prepared an FCDE Seed Grant Proposal to secure grant funding for multiple projects associated with global health, including HIV/AIDS antiretroviral treatment adherence, mosquito net use and malaria prevention, sexual reproductive health, rights, and services, and Hepatitis B awareness and testing.

I was most drawn to Uganda because I desired to work on global health issues and international development. As a Global Health Development intern, I gained experience in real-world applications of program planning, implementation, and evaluation, in an international setting.

The overarching lesson of my time in Uganda is the importance of utilizing human resources and human capital, and being adaptable to cultures so different from your own. My success in my projects in Uganda relied entirely upon trusting and allowing the influence from the affected and target communities that I hoped to reach. I attribute the success of my projects to the Ugandan natives who welcomed me into their lives and gave me an entirely new perspective on global health issues.

The experience provided by Isla internships was lifechanging for me. I was given the same job as an entry level global health program director and was asked to rise to the task. at the time I was a college student applying to grad schools for an MPH. I had very little experience working in global health however, I took free classes online (recommended to me by the CEO of Isla) and did months of preparation to get myself ready to give the best impact possible. In 90 days I successfully completed my task but it took all the time I could possibly give. I worked weekends and nights preparing materials and reading up on new research for my program. With all that said, I wouldn't have had it any other way! If you are serious about jumpstarting your career, this is a great place to do it.

What can I say the program in Uganda left a deep impression on me. What makes this program special is that you have agency. There is a support network in place but mostly it felt like you had to handle things on your own and forge you're own connections which is why I highly suggest this program to someone who wants real experience and not the voluntourism experience so prevalent in these sort of programs.

I completed my FCDE internship over the summer of my sophomore to junior year in college, and it was honestly a life changing experience. Everyone at the FCDE/Agape office were so receptive and willing to listen to my ideas, and I left Kasese truly feeling as if I had made an impact. The internship program is very well organized, and my home stay was awesome! I still keep in touch with them. The other really cool thing about FCDE is that you don't necessarily need previous experience; this internship is a good platform for all levels of experience to work upon.

As I Peace Corps volunteer in Kasese, I was lucky enough to work with the Foundation for Community Development and Empowerment (FCDE) in Kasese, Uganda. The organization was just starting back when I volunteered with them in 2011, but even then they had a clear vision, and a solid system of accountability to ensure community partners were truly benefiting. Another positive aspect of working with FCDE was that the organization worked with several local NGO partners in several different sectors. This meant that I could explore different interests, and got a better feel for what made a successful community based organization and what did not. I would recommend FCDE, and the office-based internship placements, to any organized, adventurous, flexible person looking to explore a wide breadth of development areas in Uganda.

I would definitely recommend ISLA for anyone looking to do an international internship. I learned so much about many different aspects of international development that was incredibly valuable to my professional development. Having the opportunity to do both real office work as well as be out in the field to visit a variety of projects and interact with so many people in rural villages was a great balance.

The staff in Uganda is wonderful, as they're very reliable and smart, very welcoming and were always more than willing to help with any day to day errands or questions I had. The U.S. staff is similarly great to work with, always listening and interested in what's happening on the ground.

Kasese is a good town to live and work in Uganda, as well. Among the many other volunteers I knew who were also in Uganda, this site was among the best.