Latest news

Through the course of the pandemic, LIDC’s internship program has continued to offer invaluable experience for emerging international development professionals. Since England went into its first lockdown in March last year, LIDC has had the pleasure of working with 19 students and recent graduates from UCL (DPU and IoE), LSHTM, RVC, SOAS, City, Queen Mary and Brunel.

 

LIDC’s interns get the opportunity to grow their professional networks and gain exposure in the field they are passionate about. With supportive management and regular training sessions, our motivated and ambitious interns get hands-on experience and transferable skills in communications, social media monitoring, research, analytics and writing.

 

After completing the internship, many have found work in a variety of country contexts and international development roles. Praise, Anagha, and Corneill – three of our recent interns – share their thoughts on the internship, offering us some insight into motivations and ambitions for the future. Corneill reminds us: “Always keep learning with a big smile”!

 

Dr. Praise Adeyemo, LSHTM/RVC

Why did you want to intern with LIDC?

My motivation was honing specific skills in research, communications, and partnerships, which I believe are at the core of driving conversations around international development in the global health space. To ascend the career ladder, one must be equipped to network effectively with people across sectors and learn how to communicate industry information to wider audiences void of technical jargon. This can be in the form of communicating evidence of research in clear, less technical ways using social media platforms just as the LIDC does. Honestly, the internship offered me more than I hoped for.

 

What have you been doing since your internship at LIDC ended?

After I completed my LIDC internship in August 2020, I wrapped up my master’s thesis on Schistosomiasis and One Health economics signalling the end of my master’s program at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and the Royal Veterinary College.

 

With an understanding of how overwhelming application essays can be, I started a platform (Prinade Konsults) to help prospective graduate school students review their school and scholarship application essays. The team also revamps regular CVs of such clients into academic CVs. The LIDC also gave me opportunities to give back by being a panellist at the webinars ‘Why One Health?’ and Careers in International Development.

 

Currently, I work as a Consultant to the Lagos State Ministry of Health, Nigeria on Grants Management. This role affords me the opportunity to see how donor-funded activities for the health sector in a developing country are adequately managed, providing baseline and end data useful for policy making.

 

What are your main professional ambitions in the years to come?

Pretty simple. I always ask myself: How exactly do we match all the stuff research has to offer with actual policy making in the health sector? How do we use inter- and multidisciplinary research to improve health outcomes? How do we ensure that research findings lead to the changes we want to see? Answering these questions is what I am all about. Safe to say, my long-term professional ambition is to end up in health policy and I believe that research is a pathway to get there.

 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/praiseadeyemo/

 

Anagha Joshi, LSHTM

Why did you want to intern with LIDC?

I wanted to learn more about international development and develop my skills in communications. Coming from an NGO background and having completed my public health masters, I was interested in considering health at a global level and how health interacts with other disciplines to contribute to development goals internationally. LIDC provides leadership and interdisciplinary platforms for these kinds of collaborative environments where equally passionate people could learn from each other.

 

What have you been doing since your internship at LIDC ended?

Since my internship, I undertook two consulting projects; one was producing a policy report with the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness, the second was contributing to producing two evidence gap maps at the Campbell Collaboration. I now work as a Senior Research Officer at the Australian Institute of Family Studies, working on evidence synthesis and knowledge translation for policy and practice. I also continue my NGO work in India, capacity building for local optometrists.

 

What are your main professional ambitions in the years to come?

My goals have always been a bit vague, or possible too ‘high-level’. I want to commit to improving the lives of vulnerable communities across the world, and apply my skills to achieve this. This broad goal helps me stay flexible about my learning and development. Currently, I am interested in evidence based decision making in policy, so I will continue pursuing this.

 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anagha-joshi-01290716a/

 

 

Corneill Spaapen, SOAS

Why did you want to intern with LIDC?

I wanted to intern with LIDC to gain exposure and experience with an international organisation involved in development, engaged in causes I connected strongly with. Studying at SOAS, it felt like the opportunity to combine my more theoretical academic interests with practical work.

 

What have you been doing since your internship at LIDC ended?

I finished my Masters dissertation in lockdown in Malaysia, and managed to land a job as a Project Officer at Crosswise Works in Amsterdam. The biggest projects I work on are focused on engaging youth with social and sustainable entrepreneurship in fragile contexts in sub-Saharan Africa, engaging with topics such as core life skills, incubation and crowdfunding.

 

What are your main professional ambitions in the years to come?

I hope to gain more expertise and specialism in the fields that I work in. For example, by diving into crowdfunding practices and mechanisms to be able to apply this knowledge to different contexts, while also gaining general experience. By building up my skill set, I hope to be able to manage different dynamic projects, and to always keep learning with a big smile.

 

Are you our next intern?

Thinking this internship might suit you? Find out more about the internship and read testimonials on our internship page.