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Research and Policy development with Indian NGO.
Bangalore, India: 4 months -
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Having graduated in Economics from the University of Durham and with work experience from Ernst and Young under her belt, Sarah Langham applied to CWW to gain experience of NGO work in the developing world. She chose CWW as “it seemed to offer the most tailored placements, suiting the project to your skills and they looked for projects in areas where the differences were long term.”
Sarah’s placement was with The Centre for Budget and Policy Studies, an NGO in Bangalore, India, that works to improve policy making through research and analysis. Sarah’s project involved a study looking at poverty in rural villages in 2 states which would be used by the Centre to develop clear, relevant and useful policy outcomes. Sarah worked closely with her Placement Leader at the centre and felt she was ” very well supported throughout the placement.”
Although the work was mainly office based, she did get the chance to visit and work with villages in Kerala. The experience was useful to her work and “really helped to put a face to the people I was studying and to more fully understand their situation.”
At first Sarah found living and working in such a different culture and environment very hard and she needed to learn to adjust to the new life and find ways to coping on her own. She was able to call upon things she had learnt in CWW’s Pre-departure workshop – the information and preparation on cultural customs and fitting in gave her reassurance and confidence. ”I soon managed to meet many new people and found myself busy meeting friends most evenings and weekends”.
The study that Sarah contributed to revealed many interesting findings for the Centre, that will contribute to them being able to develop sustainable policies for the future of rural India that will in turn make a difference to the lives of many who are suffering from poverty.
Sarah is amazed at how well her work-plan fell into place and recognizes the valuable experience she has gained both personally and professionally by her ‘taste of life in the development sector.’ Overall she enjoyed her placement immensely and now feels she has a unique relationship with Bangalore and India.
“I learnt a huge amount about India and the culture, better communication skills as well as greater confidence and independence. I am extremely grateful to everyone at the organization and all the people I met in India, as the experience was extremely worthwhile and rewarding due mainly to their help and warmth in sharing their lives with me.”
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If you are interested in doing a Placement similar to this one, contact us quoting Case Study Reference: Research and Policy Development in India (The Centre for Budget and Policy Studies)
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