My name is Tayba Hathiyani. I am a fourth year student doing International Development and Health Studies. I am heading off to Babati, Tanzania this summer with the Tanzania Chamber of Commerce Industry and Agriculture (TCCIA) to work as a Gender and Governance Officer. I will be supporting TCCIA with mainstream cross-cutting issues, among them, gender and youth, in their initiatives. As well, I will be providing technical assistance in assessing the strength of their approach to gender mainstreaming across the programme cycle and conducting training to the TCCIA’s staff and body members on gender, especially in women and youth inclusion strategies to TCCIA Manyara programs.
As a UTSC Student and QE Scholar, I am hoping to gain amazing experience and apply what I have learned through my International Development courses into an actual workplace while helping people and give back to the community; something I am looking forward to doing. Furthermore, as a fourth-year student looking towards the next steps in my career, it is through my engagement in this field of study that I am motivated to continue a career in the field of social justice, specifically concerning issues of poverty, inequality, oppression, health inequity and gender-based issues. I am very excited for this opportunity!