The worlds of international development and humanitarian assistance have never been more intertwined as they have been since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. The ongoing sanitary crisis, and especially the response associated to it, has deepened inequalities throughout the world, threatening the very lives, livelihoods and futures of countless families. As a student pursuing an Honours major in International Development Studies, I knew that as terrible as the effects of the ongoing crisis were going to be throughout the world, they also presented a unique opportunity to put the knowledge I had acquired to use, and to try and make a difference. Having in the past volunteered in refugee camps (Greece, summer 2018), in renewable education construction projects (Guatemala, 2012), in environmental clean-up (Vancouver, 2017), and been in close communication with many non-governmental organizations (NGOs) through my work as the head of Borderless World Volunteers’ international projects, I had many avenues which I could have normally pursued to develop my professional capabilities in the field of international development. However, due to the mobility restrictions imposed by states to face off against the pandemic, many of these former opportunities were no longer available to me. Instead, I was constrained to search for a more local endeavor into which to focus my energy for the summer, though I still sought to find a way to assist the global community in facing off against this threat.
Confined in the south of France with my family, I was a long way away from most NGO headquarters and relevant government offices where internships are normally found. After some searching and communication with community members, I nonetheless found, and was hired by, the Groupe URD located just 25km away from my family’s home. To put it simply, the Groupe URD is a thinktank which analyzes practices and developing policies for the humanitarian sector; it seeks to help aid actors improve the quality of their programs. During the COVID-19 crisis, some of its experts focused on the impacts of the pandemic from a multi-disciplinary approach, mounting their COVID-19 Observatory. As an intern, I was assigned to work in the framework of this Observatory. In this role, I was able to undertake a variety of tasks, which ensured my work was never monotone. First, I translated previous outputs of the COVID-19 Observatory from French to English. I also worked alongside the various experts to provide critical feedback on their outputs, sharing information on the subject they had selected. Most notably, I wrote/co-wrote two reports in both French and English, the first on adapting disaster response to a COVID context, and the second on the impacts of COVID-19 on education and youth. Finally, I also provided logistical support for the preparation of the Autumn School on Humanitarian Aid 2020, which will occur in September 2020, additionally revamping their sale modalities to a more efficient (and COVID-friendly!) approach.
Though I have not yet been able to find a relevant professor who remains available to supervise a research project resulting from my internship, I hope to be able to find one shortly. In any case, it was an experience which taught me much about the current shortcomings in the international aid regime, and how entire sectors can pivot to face a new crisis. Having always wanted to spend time in the field before potentially taking on a more policy-oriented role, my time at the Groupe URD has reinforced this: through my research, I found that all too many bureaucrats in this sector remain completely disconnected from the lived realities of people they purport to benefit, and going into this field this is definitely something I will avoid.
None of these realizations could have been possible without the generous support of Dre. France Bellisle. As a recipient of the Ithaca Arts Internship Award, established by Dre. Bellisle I was able to offset many of my basic living costs which the normal internship remuneration in France is unable to cover. As well, I was able to invest in an electric bike for my twice weekly presential workdays, which made the 50km round trip significantly more bearable than my normal bike, and also reduced my carbon footprint compared to using a car.
Finally, I would like to finish this report by sharing one piece of advice for future remote/semi-remote workers: communication is all-important! Scheduling regular (ideally daily) calls with your supervisor for guidance and advice on your work can help you endlessly.
Thank you for your attention.
