Manao ahoana daholo! (Hi everyone!) My name is Mifaly Andriamady and I will be doing a 10-month placement in Madagascar (my home country!), with an organization called CRS or Catholic Relief Services. I am also a recipient of the Frank Faubert Scholarship in International Development Studies.
I am very excited for this placement and I am looking forward to putting development into practice in a place that I truly care about, while taking into consideration everything I learned in the classroom for the past 3 years. As of right now, I do not have a clear description of my position yet, but I have shown interest in working on a project that is focused on Gender and Youth empowerment implemented by the organization. My employer has also mentioned a couple of workshops I should be taking part in, a few field visits here and there during my stay, so I am looking forward to all of these even though things have not been fully finalized yet!
I decided to go with this placement not only because I get to go back to the place that brought me to where I am today, but also to help create a better Madagascar by supporting its youth change makers. I hope to carry out an action research and contribute to Madagascar’s literature in academia – especially in the field of development. My current focus is on the culture of the country tied with its politics, however, this might change over time and I look forward to the exploration of this topic, the great conversations I will have with the people, and all the growth I am about to experience through this internship!
Veloma! (Goodbye!)