Tag Archives: India

Sustainable Development Intern – Jai Bhagirathi Foundation

Universtiy of Exeter Internships, UoE Internships, SCP, SBP, GBP, A2I

What were your main duties and responsibilities during the course of your internship?

I had to set up and manage a new environmental development project on solid waste management. The goal of this project was to increase the dialogue between the different stakeholders of solid liquid waste management (household garbage). First, I had to conduct a needs assessment for solid waste management in Jodhpur. By coordinating translators and transport to aid me, I interviewed and established contacts in Jodhpur’s local government, community council leaders, citizens, city sweepers, and slum rag pickers. From this research, I decided to focus my project on incentivising the slum rag pickers to take work in the new government door-to-door waste collection scheme, and encourage the government to hire them. I produced materials on my slum rag pickers research to give to those involved in the new door-to-door collection scheme. I then arranged for those managing that scheme to conduct a workshop on work opportunities in waste management within the slum rag picking community.

What would you say was your biggest achievement over the course of your internship?

Influencing the opinions and actions of important people in government. Creating opportunities for those in underprivileged communities. Overcoming the difficulties of working through a translator.

What benefits did your internship bring to your employer?

Establish new important contacts in government and in the wider Jodhpur community. Started a project largely independently without straining their resources – a project which they can now continue.

Did you encounter any problems during the course of your internship and if so, how did you overcome them?

The biggest problem I faced was having to tackle people’s prejudices when trying to increase dialogue between different communities and stakeholders of waste management in Jodhpur. This was overcome by utilising the persuasive skills of translators who could convey passionately the research of the project.