丁香园AV

Lark Anderson, a soon-to-be graduate of the School for International Studies BA program, is gaining global experience through an internship with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). Through the UN International Internship Programme for Students offered at the School, she joined UNODC鈥檚 Alternative Sustainable Development team in June 2024, working on initiatives to combat illicit drugs and international crime. Here鈥檚 what she had to say about her time abroad in Southeast Asia:

When reading reports about international development, it鈥檚 easy to feel disconnected from the real impact of these projects. The hands-on work鈥攅ngaging with communities, collaborating with stakeholders, and securing donor support鈥攃an sometimes get overshadowed by big-picture goals and ambitious objectives. 

With support from the Simons Foundation International Travel Grant, I spent six months in Lao PDR with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. Lao PDR is a major producer of opium, with its northern provinces at highest risk of opium cultivation. 

UNODC鈥檚 Alternative Development projects aims to provide communities in Houaphanh and Phongsaly provinces vulnerable to opium cultivation the opportunity to pursue an alternative legal livelihood through coffee cultivation. My experience as an Alternative Sustainable Development Intern showed me how the ideas and the skills that I developed at 丁香园AV鈥檚 International Studies program helped equip me for my placement. 

Engaging in the everyday work of carrying out an international development project, I was exposed to new experiences and ideas. Participating in multilingual meetings taught me the importance of clear communication and the value of relationships when engaging in institutional capacity building. Working directly with stakeholders and refining reporting systems showed me that details often matter most.

The Simons Foundation International Travel Grant allowed me to gain hands-on experience, learn new skills, and advance my knowledge in the development field. For example, to better communicate both professionally and personally, I began learning to speak the Lao language. While I still have much to learn, some of the most memorable moments during my internship came when I could communicate with stakeholders in their language. Their patience with me reinforced the importance of listening, and participation in project delivery. 

From supporting the Vanmai Coffee Cooperative, a farmer-owned and Fairtrade-certified coffee cooperative, to revising field-level reporting systems and assisting with international cooperation frameworks, the internship deepened my understanding of what it means to work collaboratively with local and global communities. Thanks to this travel grant funding, the themes and topics that I had explored in my undergraduate studies became tangible in my daily work. The experiences, learning, and knowledge I gained while working in Lao PDR will follow me throughout my career and continue to shape my personal and academic growth.