Community Development Internship in Malawi

My internship in Malawi was truly a life-changing experience (as cheesy as that sounds). I recently graduated with a degree in Marketing/International Business and I wanted to apply my skills in the real-world, while making a difference. This is exactly what I got to do. Using my academic knowledge, I was able to work on a variety of projects, take ownership of my tasks, and get involved wherever I wanted to gain insights in the organization. It was inspiring to see the impact my daily work had on the community and I'm proud of the accomplishments I achieved, including helping launch a disability center in a rural area. From digital marketing, to fundraising, to project management, to hosting events - there was no shortage of tasks and I got to try out different things in order to learn what I want to do in my future career. I'd recommend this internship to anyone that is ready to take lead on a project and build a portfolio (you must be self-driven and take initiative to get things done!). All this, while being based in an absolutely idyllic setting!! Malawi is a gorgeous country with beautiful landscapes and a welcoming culture. I was embraced by the community and living on the shores of Lake Malawi was like a dream. I would recommend any internship in Malawi to anyone looking to immerse themselves in a new culture and get involved with truly grassroots development work.

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Volunteering at Butterfly Space allowed me to not only work on their current projects, but also venture off on my own to make new connections within the community. I was able to meet so many different community leaders, teachers, mentors, and coaches within Nkhata Bay, and surrounding villages. I feel like I was able to not only bring new knowledge and ideas to the people of Nkhata Bay, but also learn so much from them and develop in my own way. It was truly a beautiful experience that I will always be grateful for, and has encouraged a future of volunteering and traveling.

I really enjoyed my internship in Malawi, at Butterfly Space. It was a great opportunity to put in practice everything that I learned at school. I feel like I contributed positively to the lodge and vice-versa. My tasks were various and suited me perfectly. They have many projects and I could chose on which one I wanted to focus. My goals were to learn more about developing countries and how they function, as well as to have a clearer idea about my future career path, which I'm happy to say that I achieved.

This internship was insightful, gritty, and meaningful for my research and on a personal level. I would hesitate to label my review as only a review of my "internship" but rather a review of my entire experience of working at a research clinic in Cape Town during a pandemic. The internship is set in an extremely rich context for public health, social science, and anthropology majors to engage with an impoverished community via clinical research and do administrative tasks that aid the clinic and inform your understanding of research on a local level. You have plenty of opportunity to observe participants and ask questions to the busy, but fun staff. I was challenged to put myself out there everyday and stay productive in loud, hectic environments both in the clinic and in the community. Some downsides to the internship is that there isn't direct mentorship, a consistent work schedule, or much initiation on the staff side to engage your interests and provide you with daily support and structure. I would recommend undergraduate students to evaluate whether they feel ready to initiate and put themselves out there daily throughout the internship period while dealing with the emotional and mental transitions of moving to a foreign country. Aside from the downsides which I am grateful to have overcome, I was able to fulfill my research fellowship and internship on a high note with much engagement and satisfaction from the staff and community and a greater understanding of my career and field of interest. I would recommend this internship for any researcher/academic willing to challenge themselves, be flexible and reflective, take on new perspectives, and who are invested in learning and assisting in participants' and community health.