Nitesh Kondiram Anjana, a student of social work, says he never realized how 30 days flew by during his internship at ECF. Read on to know why:
“While studying for Masters in Social Work at Karve Institute of Social Sciences, I got to know about Equal Community Foundation’s work through their website – their mission to prevent violence and discrimination against women by engaging with adolescent boys intrigued me. I wrote to them expressing my interest for fieldwork and that’s how I landed at the ECF office for my first day of a month-long internship.
From my previous internship experience, I assumed my role at ECF would be that of an observer and outsider. I was happy to be proven wrong.
Right from the beginning, my coordinator, Anjana Goswami, asked for my expectations and areas of interest. She encouraged me to make the most of this opportunity to learn about gender and enjoy myself while doing it.
From the second day onwards, I felt at home; I was a part of a team contributing passionately to end violence and discrimination against women. I had plenty of opportunities to interact with team-members, passionately discuss gender equality and discover what it is like to work in communities firsthand.
The staff at ECF were supportive for every step of my assignment. I never experienced any hierarchy in the organization; ECF is a shining example of a healthy work environment. I will never forget my interaction with the co-founder, Will Muir. Somehow, in my broken English and his barely workable Marathi, we managed to have a heart to heart conversation about gender.
I never realized how 30 days flew by- I’d blended into an enthusiastic routine of turning up for work with a single-minded focus on gender equality, interacting with my colleagues, enjoying my cup of coffee and most importantly, interacting with young men on-field.
I would certainly recommend internship at ECF- because I firmly believe our engagement with adolescent boys will bring India one step closer to being a country without violence and discrimination.”
Want to intern with us? Write to us at: info@ecf.org.in