My Internship Experience, Summer 2019

In three words: Fun, flexible, rewarding!

I first started volunteering with Zimbabwe Educational Trust in my second year of uni. As an International Development student, the objectives of the organisation aligned perfectly with my interests, studies, and passion to make a positive difference. I began working on developing a database containing information of potential trusts that might fund ZET’s activities, and I also helped to write our quarterly reports for Global Giving, one of our main fundraising platforms. It was during this period that I began to learn more and more about ZET’s partner projects. I became inspired by both the work that takes place on the ground in Zimbabwe, and the dedication of ZET staff and volunteers here in Leeds to make the ground work possible. Not only this, but I saw the potential difference my contribution as a volunteer could have to the organisation and their beneficiaries. So, I chose to dedicate three weeks during Summer working full time for ZET as an intern…! Here’s what I got up to!

Tasks and Responsibilities:

1. Research for and analysis of grant making trusts viable for ZET funding: Entered potential funders into a database to record essential criteria and contact information via MS excel.
2. Development of grant proposals for funding applications: Drafted funding applications detailing partners’ ground work, case studies and budgetary information.
3. Management of social media platforms: Provided up-to-date content and media on Facebook and Twitter. Worked to increase our base and expand our social media audience. Advertised volunteer opportunities via socials.
4. Updating and expanding fundraising platforms: Completed Global Giving rewards exercises to improve our position in their rankings. Promoted our links to Give as You Live. Set up ZET on new fundraising platforms, e.g. Givey.
5. Correspondence with third parties via email and telephone: Managed email account and made numerous fundraising enquiries over the telephone.
6. ICT: Updated website content. Drafted new volunteer opportunities information. Advertised new volunteer opportunities by different means including various university portals, ZET website and volunteer matching sites.

Personal benefits & most enjoyable aspects

1. Internship tailored to my interests: At ZET I was lucky enough to have a huge say in the work that I did. Before starting, my Operations Manager made sure he understood what I wanted to get out of the internship. he then translated this into tasks relevant and useful to both me and the organisation. This meant that I never found my work boring!
2. Big responsibilities, big impact: Interning at ZET was a unique comprar cialis online experience because I was given the responsibility to work on tasks that had a considerable impact. Unlike working at a larger organisation, I was not limited to mundane administrative tasks. I got right to the heart of ZET. I was actively involved in numerous aspects of running a non-profit organisation. Thus, I knew my efforts were worthwhile and I was made to feel as though they were appreciated. Not only was I able to gain practical work experience that will be relevant to my future career, but I can be proud that my work has made a genuine difference to the organisation.
3. Flexibility: As an intern at ZET, I was afforded a great deal of flexibility. I was given the choice to work in the office, university library, and even from home. In the end I chose to do a combination of the three. This degree of flexibility is rare, and one of the things that makes working for ZET special.
4. Fantastic oversight by Operations Manager: One thing that made my internship particularly enjoyable was the amicable relationship that I developed with my Operations Manager. As well as engaging in structured discussions about what needed to be done and by when, we had conversations about Zimbabwe, current affairs, informal chats and some banter. On top of this, I was provided with 10/10 support; any questions or uncertainties I had were met with patience and a willingness to help. This created a positive environment and made it a pleasure to work alongside my Operations Manager.

Finally…I would recommend this experience to anybody!

Regardless of what you are studying I would recommend taking on an internship with ZET. I believe the skills and experience that I have taken away are invaluable for any young person and, importantly, transferable across disciplines. Moreover, because an internship with ZET is tailored to your interests, you will be able to choose tasks appropriate to your needs and develop the skills that you think will benefit you. An internship at ZET is suitable to anybody with the desire to make a positive change, and to those who are looking to gain professional experience in a fun, flexible and rewarding way!

Any questions? Email me!

If you have any questions about how to make this possible for you, or would like me to go into further detail about my experience as an intern, feel free to get in touch with me via email at: contact@zimbabweeducationaltrust.org.uk

“For children to count, they have to be counted.” Harry Belafonte

This quote highlights the importance of birth registration particularly on the right to a sound education. Birth registration is the process by which a child’s birth is recorded in the civil register by the applicable government authority. It provides the first legal recognition of the child and is generally required for the child to obtain a birth certificate. Unfortunately, many African countries fail to adhere consistently this process.

In Zimbabwe achieving universal birth registration remains a difficult task. Progress towards universal birth registration in Zimbabwe is slow and the gap between promise and achievement remains wide. According to UNICEF (2015), only 31 per cent of children are registered before the 5th birthday. Nevertheless, the Zimbabwe Statistical Agency provides a less conservative estimate suggesting that 38 per cent of children are registered within the first 59 months after birth (ZimStats, 2015). Still, even after the 5th birthday, birth registration success remains undesirably low (Save the Children et al., 2011)
This may affect a child’s right to basic education, especially as birth certificate acknowledges the existence of a child and absence of this may slow down the school enrolment process. Without valid proof of age, children are unable to register for the exams that allow them to continue onto secondary education.

However, there are laws establishing these rights. For instance, Article 7 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) states that, ‘The child shall be registered immediately after birth and shall have the right from birth to a name and the right to acquire a nationality’. This convention imposes a duty on states parties to register the birth of every child.
In the same vein, Article 24 of the United Nations International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which the General Assembly adopted in 1966, provides cialis that ‘every child shall be registered immediately after birth and shall have a name’.

Despite the fact that there are laws (both international and national) in place to address this problem, achieving birth registration still remains a tall order in Zimbabwe. This is due, in part, to lack of awareness/education of the parents of the existing laws on birth registration. Especially as residents in rural areas have little or no information that there are sanctions in place for non-compliance with birth registration.

An empirical study was carried out in Zimbabwe to ascertain why this issue persist and it was realised that most participants were unaware that it is legally required to have a birth certificate or sanctions involved for non-compliance. Although participants were aware of the procedures to follow when applying for a birth certificate, they were not sufficiently apprised of the compulsory requirement of the Births and Deaths Registration Act 5:02 to give notice of a live birth of a child within the first 42 days.

Awareness of this legislation coupled with visible and clear sanctions may encourage increase in birth registration. This is because the law is seen as a viable tool to control human behaviour if properly enforced. Could this show a way forward?

Birth registration has been framed as child’s rights and a mechanism through which children access human rights. Therefore, laws on birth registration in Zimbabwe needs to be properly promoted and pressure exerted where none exist. Birth registration is very crucial in every facet of life, it establishes the identity of an individual. Without identity a person does not exist, at least on paper, and this is no small barrier. As the World Bank observes, the possession of a birth certificate represents a ‘permanent, legal and visible recognition by the state of a child’s existence as a member of society.

Guest Blogger: Ibukunoluwa Iyiola-Omisore

I was lucky enough to visit Zimbabwe for the second time at the end of 2019, to visit our partners and see some of the amazing work they are doing to support young people in their communities.

After twenty-seven hours and several airport lounges, our leadership team touched down in Bulawayo and drove back through the beautiful surroundings to get started.

When I first visited Zimbabwe eighteen months before, the country had erupted with hope for the future and all our partners had big plans. It was fantastic to be back and see these plans in action and to get to meet some of the young women and men that ZET has been supporting, which kicked off with our visit to Trinity Project.

Trinity Project is a Bulawayo-based organisation which champions child rights and child protection, best known for its ground-breaking work on birth registration locally and nationally. Our trip began working on upcoming fundraising, project management and other administration. We were able to find out about their successes, such as lobbying the First Lady on birth registration and passing a parliamentary motion.

After struggling through power cuts and lack of water and electricity for the first couple of days in the office, we spent the rest of our time in Bulawayo out in the field meeting local communities. We visited some girlchild empowerment organisations, called ‘kids clubs’, where we heard first-hand the impact Trinity had in teaching these young girls and women about their rights and transforming their circumstances.

No one exemplified this better than Brenda, a teenage girl who was kind enough to share her story. Brenda was born HIV+, due to her single mother’s positive status. She grew up very poor, unable to go to school or afford proper medication. She resented her mother for her situation and ran away from home when she was very young. Life on the streets was tough and left her vulnerable, so fearing for her safety she returned home. This is when she was introduced to the Trinity Project Kids Clubs. She began to attend these and was taught various sports, games and arts and crafts to participate in.

This became her lifeline – she had other children to socialise with who understood, an incredible support-network of adults around her to counsel her, and new creative outlets. Brenda now writes beautiful and impactful poetry, which we were lucky enough to hear her perform. Brenda is an inspiring person, but she represents dozens of young people who Trinity has empowered in this way, and it was a privilege to meet buy generic cialis online these young girls and boys, learn from them, and continue to support them.

The next stop on our visit was Rafiki Girls Centre, an education and vocational training centre for vulnerable young women in Harare. This visit began with working through the project management and logistics of our ongoing project funded with UK aid from the British people, and it was wonderful to hear that this year’s programme was going well and the rapid expansion of students had been a success.

During our time at the centre, we met many students during various classes. The director, Hildah, has an almost encyclopaedic knowledge of her students past and present; their backgrounds, their work, and what they went on to do; so it has always been so inspiring to hear what a life-changing difference the centre makes in the lives of these women, and it was a blessing to get to see this first-hand.

We saw students working on their new UK Aid Direct funded laptops and sewing machines and were treated to a delicious three-course lunch from the hotel and catering students. I was gifted a gorgeous kitchen set from the design students, which now sits proudly next to the wall-hanging I was given at my last visit, back here in the UK.

We also travelled round Harare in torrential rain to see students at their vocational trainings, including tutorials at a hair salon and Nurse Aid students learning CPR at a Red Cross centre. The young women on this course are a testament to the project – Rafiki provides first-class training to its students and is vital in boosting their confidence, social skills and employability; forging a lifeline for marginalised young women in Zimbabwe.

I flew home alone as the rest of our team travelled onto our final wonderful partner, Foundations for farming, and was able to reflect on our visit. It feels like the start of an exciting new period for ZET and our partners, with a new leadership team in place at home, stronger than ever organisations in Zimbabwe, and fantastic plans for the next couple of years. All of our partners are doing incredible work supporting the most vulnerable in society and have a transformational effect on those they reach. We have strong projects in place to champion our existing work and are expanding into new areas – I really look forward to seeing what we can do next.

Hannah O’Riordan

ZET Trustee

Rafiki Girls have always been incredible at what they do and now this project will be funded with UK aid from the UK government. Utilising funds from the Jo Cox Memorial we’re delighted that between 2019-2022 we will be supporting 240 girls (including 40 single mums) to break the cycle of deprivation which has so negatively impacted their lives so far.

With their amazing programme of confidence building, life skills and personal independence the first three months will see the girls come together as a group and start to change the way they see themselves and their life opportunities.

In the months that follow the girls go on to specialise in areas tadalafil cost such as Pre-School, Nurse Aid, Hotel & Catering and more. This specialist training is combined with a work placement to ensure that by the time they are finished they’re ready to enter the workplace.

From here it’s just a short hop to understand how an empowered woman, with skills and earning potential can change her own life and contribute to the lives of those around her.

The proof is evidenced as 85% of graduates go on to employment or further training within 6 months of graduating. Way ahead of the national average.

This inspiring work is the reason Rafiki and ZET have partnered for so many years.

If you are a girl born in Zimbabwe, the opportunities available to you in life can be very limited. Faced with a long history of gender inequality grounded in cultural and religious attitudes, boy children are given preferential treatment over girl children in terms of education. Girls comprise just 35% of the pupils in secondary education. This barrier to education, coupled with hostile economic conditions and a high unemployment rate results in girls often being ill-equipped to enter the workforce. Young girls in Zimbabwe are vulnerable to a host of challenges in securing themselves a bright and happy future. Our partners at the Rafiki Girls Centre aim to provide girls with a way out of poverty, empowering the most disadvantaged young women to take their futures into their own hands. 

Providing specialist training in a range of career paths, Rafiki opens up a world of opportunities to young girls. From interior design to pre-school teaching, girls who apply to Rafiki can explore their potential through a series of courses designed to equip and empower them with the skills they need to advance in life. During the site visit in November 2019, our Chairman/co-founder Derrick, Operations Manager?Andy?and?Trustee Hannah were able to see these buy cialis online safely courses in action, experiencing first-hand the ways in which Rafiki is improving the lives of young girls in Zimbabwe. 

Derrick, Andy and Hannah had the privilege of observing a whole range of classes, which gave them an insight into the quality and standards of teaching provided by the amazing staff at Rafiki. They got their hair done at a cosmetology class, brushed up on their anatomy in Nurses’ Aid training, and even enjoyed a hotel-standard meal prepared by the Hotel and Catering students in the centre.  

The purpose of the visit was to strengthen our relationship with our partners, as well as placing on-going scrutiny on their practices. By challenging existing safeguarding standards and monitoring everything from applications to teaching to book-keeping, ZET made sure that every part of Rafiki’s processes were up to scratch, in order to deliver the best experience possible to the girls. Perhaps the most important part of the visit was ensuring the sustainability of the project, through thorough analysis and evaluation of its effectiveness and impact. Finally, the site visit presented us with an opportunity to learn, enabling us to plan for the years ahead.