How did this all happen? My current chaotic situation began less than a year ago when I decided to take my business background, global health coursework, and intern positions with a local microfinance institution and global development organization and blend them seamlessly into a mid-level position with a local development organization. Surely it would be easy to glide right into this dream job, right? Dozens of missed chances later, I quickly realized I needed a way to stand out among the hundreds of other qualified applicants who are currently unemployed and equally as passionate about this work.
Reading articles and taking courses on a particular subject can only get you so far. Getting your hands dirty in the trenches is where true understanding and learning takes place. The applied experience appeared to be the missing link for pursuing a development career. After weeks of researching opportunities it became clear that there are countless ways to plug in overseas: permanent salaried work, short-term positions, fellowships, internships, and volunteer positions. The options surrounding length of time and scope of work transported me back to a time when an immature eighteen year old was being asked to choose a college major with little life experience under the belt. It was overwhelming to say the least.
Add to the kettle that life-shaping decisions don't often come easy to me. Three decades on the planet and I've never mastered one thing. I can't claim to be a high school sports star, an established artist or musician, a valedictorian, an entrepreneur, a kayaking prodigy, or (try as I might) a sponsored climber. One might say I'm a "Jill of all trades." Others may say I'm "unfocused." I like to claim a zest for exploration and an energetic passion for our short time on this planet.
Now, take that A.D.D., er, zest for life, and use it to narrow down the scope of global development work. You have the booming microfinance industry, global health, water and sanitation, child and maternal health, human trafficking, land issues, agriculture, and on and on. In each of these topics one could find a true calling for helping to solve the planet's most pressing problems. I opted to leave all doors open and have a two-fold criteria that fit the length of time I sought (1-3 months) and the locations in which my meager Anglophonic existence would best suit me (parts of Asia and Africa).
Fast forward and I've narrowed down my offers to a fellowship with Kiva, one of the world's largest microfinance institutions, and an internship with Jabala, an Indian organization that focuses on human trafficking, child marriage, child labor, and HIV/AIDS. Jabala's range of programs supports those who have been trafficked with re-entry into society through training initiatives providing economic alternatives to the young survivors.
Once I hit the monsoonal streets of Kolkata my responsibilities for Jabala will include 1) developing a marketing plan to sell their products to various clients and explore the potential of nontraditional employment as mean to open up opportunities and increase incomes for young women; 2) writing a case study on lessons learned from Jabala’s efforts to support young women in their entrepreneurship and income generation programs. Oh, and 3) trying my best not to pick up a weird stomach parasite along the way.
This situation I'm getting myself into will be intense, to say the least. However, no matter what the outcome, I'm confident that there will be lessons to learn along the way. Grace, humility, open mindedness, and humor will be there to guide me. This blog will act as a journal to chronicle the good, the bad, and the ugly throughout my journey. I plan to update it every 2-3 days, so as to keep my parents from calling the US embassy to check up on me on a daily basis. Feel free to leave comments, email me thoughts, and join me for this once in a lifetime adventure.
