INTERN-SPEAK
Karl Jeker, Intern from Switzerland – AIESEC: “…Working for ASK was a very special experience for me out of various reasons. First of all, the internship allowed me to gain an insight into the various social groups that exist in India. During the internship, I got to work with professional university trained social workers, I got to interact with exporters from Moradabad and I got to know the local people from Rehmat Nagar. A very special memory for me was being invited into the houses of some of the local social workers, something rarely allowed to men from outside the family that enabled me to get a diversified insight into the various spheres of Indian society. Secondly, working for ASK was a lot of fun. There was an excellent team atmosphere and I really enjoyed being able to work with such an entrepreneurial boss as Dr. Aqueel Khan. I also enjoyed being able to participate in the stimulating discussions.
Lastly, the work was very rewarding and testing at the same time. On the micro level, it was very rewarding. It was a great feeling to see how one can make bigger and smaller improvement in peoples lives. At the macro perspective, however, it seemed that everything one does is just a very small drop on a hot stone. But that brings me back to one thing I really liked about ASK. From the very beginning, the questions of replicability, up scaling and sustainability were kept at the center in developing and evaluating all ASK interventions. The internship at ASK was a great experience for me and I would recommend it to all (looking for such an experience.) ….
Mallika Ahluwalia, Princeton University, Year 2003: “…..Working at ASK was a great learning experience from start to end! The organization was very open to my inputs in tailoring my project to my interests, and I was given a lot of independence in its execution. The internship completely avoided the clerical tasks that many of my friends had to undertake during their internship’s with other NGOs. Instead I was involved in a great mix of field immersion and research activities to write a program evaluation for one of ASK's projects. In addition to the interesting work, the friendly and welcoming atmosphere at the office and field site made me comfortable immediately. I have definitely come out of this internship having learnt alot about the realities of developmental work.”
