Interns' diary: Anubha Prakash
26 June, 2006 The UNICEF internship program brought together people as diverse as the creatures on this planet. Yet there was one thing that linked them to each other, the thread of humanity, compassion and empathy. The bond that seems to have pledge to keep us together despite the man-made barriers of caste, class, gender and region. The coming together of all the interns was an overwhelming experience for me. To me it meant an expansion of the phenomenon of globalization. However, the phenomenon has been accused of doing a lot of harm to the already disadvantaged groups. But, fortunately this time they were not being stampede in the mad rush for economic development, in stead it was the people at the lowest cadre who were being thought about. Young students from all over the world had come together to participate in the process of reaching down to the grassroots and help the people there to reach the sky that we all equally deserve. This internship plan covers 13 states through 31 different projects. So more than 100 students from all over the world are being acquainted and sensitized to the needs and circumstances of millions of disadvantaged people in India. This is done through a study of the government and UNICEF run projects. The aim is definitely to bring together and prepare the fresh blood to eventually make a difference to the world they live in. The first week of the program oriented the interns to the objectives and aims of this project and their individual projects. The growing disparity between the haves and the have-nots was elucidated to present it as a rationale for the various programs that the government of India and UNICEF take up. Slowly we were inducted into our individual case study projects. Project guides for each program came down to the capital city to welcome students into this endeavor. The next week gets even more exciting as the whole makeup of the developmental initiative uncovers gradually and helps you get an understanding of it. So, work becomes more serious. It is now time to draft the design for your action in the days to come.
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