“Living in Lebanon has given me the opportunity to work both out in the field and in the office.”

I arrived in Lebanon in July and was only supposed to have worked three months, however, I was fortunate enough to extend my stay for another six months.

The IRW internship has showcased the impact of the projects I have participated in. I have developed many skills such as how to take initiative. Living in Lebanon has given me the opportunity to work both out in the field and in the office. I have learnt how to write proposals, final reports and how to be a supervisor for the volunteers.

Previously in Greece I’ve visited refugee camps but never really experienced field experience the way I have in Lebanon. It gives me the best of both world and gained more sustainable development through different environments.

A great and memorable experience of mine was when I was a part of the Qurbani Distribution in August, people started to recognise who I was and I gained a lot of the communities trust and respect. In a working environment in the Middle East, especially working in a new country it meant so much to be to know I was appreciated and treated with respect. The community build a relationship with me and I found multiple opportunities through meeting new people which meant more working and learning experiences for me.

I now work full time for IRW in Lebanon and my internship within this sector in the Middle East was truly a gift. This internship has given me the ability and more confidence to utilise my two degrees a BA in economics and a masters in global studies and has I feel like I have quantified tangible experience to add to my CV.

I would definitely recommend this internship to people who are looking to broaden their careers within the Humanitarian Sector. I highly advise you not to give up, people kept saying to me ‘When will you get a real job?’ but this internship was a great experience to build memories, experiences and development. I’ve had a great time meeting people, other NGO’s and I also want to learn Arabic so I can interact with the community better.