December 12, 2019, by abrierley

Global Placement Grant – volunteer at Rosie May Foundation in Nepal

by Sutharshini Jeyathaas, 2nd year, BSc Hons Economics

I travelled to Nepal as a research intern for Rosie May Foundation which is an international charity who help children in crisis. My role consisted of conducting research into children’s academic life in mountain schools. We had to assess how volunteers can contribute, including research on the specific skills needed, as the mountain village has not engaged with volunteers before. We created case studies to build an insight into the lives of communities in the area. We then had to produce an insightful research report outlining our findings and use them to make recommendations 

Immerse yourself and live like a local in the unique, vibrant and hugely welcoming Nepalese culture! 

I found out about the internship through the Nottingham Internship Scheme and it instantly excited me. The thought of going to a developing country and being able to make a real impact was what made me apply.

Carrying out the research through the numerous interviews was actually an achievement since there was a huge language barrier but it was also because the research would help Rosie May give the right help needed to the local communities hence, I see collecting the research as a huge achievement.  

Adapting to the Nepalese lifestyle was a huge challenge and I overcame it by not putting too much thought into how we did things in the UK. The toilets, washing clothes and the ridiculously hot weather did take some time to get used to but the amazing views I experienced helped me get over all of that very easily.

What I loved about the internship was that I was able to carry out research through numerous interviews and focus groups and I thoroughly enjoyed talking to different people therefore I am currently looking for graduate schemes which requires me to talk to a lot of clients.

Travelteer sorted us out with accommodation and took over from Rosie May in Nepal. The staff were lovely and helped us out very well. They let us be independent yet guided us whenever we were clueless. I would recommend the whole experience because you learn so much when you travel by yourself with people you don’t know. This was definitely one of the best summers I’ve ever had! 

You won’t always get the experience to travel to a developing country and live like a local in very safe conditions.  

Sutharshini’s top tips for undertaking overseas placements:

  • Get used to the different lifestyle for example the different toilets and just remember that you’re very lucky to be in a different country with amazing people  
  • Talk to the locals and fully immerse yourself into the local culture because it’s so much more fun that way 
  • Take a notebook with you and make notes on anything that interests you since it could help you with your dissertation  
Posted in Global Placement Grant