Internship Experience @ Hope Foundation, Kolkata: Organize Awareness Camps, Slum Visits

Your Name, College, Year of Study, Email ID

Aswini Kumar Bajrangi, School of Law, Gailgotias University

Name of Organisation, Location city, Team Strength

Hope Foundation, Kolkata

Application Process

One needs to send their CV along with a Cover Letter stating the purpose and dean’s recommendation letter for the internship at info@hopechild.org

Duration of internship and timings

1st June – 18th July, 2016

First impression, first day formalities, infrastructure

I arrived at their main office at Lake Gardens Office, Kolkata.

I was made to fill out the required internship form and further handed over a prospectus of the projects the NGO works on.

The office in Lake Gardens is on the ground floor and every individual present had their work station, not very large but workable.

I was taken on a field trip of the project area the very first day.

Main tasks

To understand my main task I have to explain the project I worked on briefly.

I was assigned under the Go CODE – Addressing the Unaddressed.

GO-Code designs and implements digital location code systems that tell you exactly where you are, or helps you find out precisely where you need to go – whether it’s a road, field or river.

You can use GO Codes on the web, on your mobile, or GO-CODE app

Just by entering the GO-Code of where you want to go and a map appears showing you the way.

GO Code has developed location code systems for use in many countries around the world.

The Go Code gave an unique identification for every dwellings in the probably what is known as the PANCHANANTALA

This recognition actually proves their existence to the Government as a whole, because the whole area consisting of over about 2462 dwellings in a cramp was identified with a single address and there were no individual identification

The Go Code assigned to the dwellings also helped them apply for their Aadhar Cards, Ration Cards, Voter I.D’s, Bank Pass Books and probably every possible Government recognition for nothing but their welfare as a whole.

I was given Research work which included collection of primary data by regular field trips to the Panchanantala slum.

I also helped the team in organizing awareness camps sponsored by government officials which turned out to be a great learning experience by the means of interaction with the public at the grass root level.

Work environment and people

My team leader actually worked solo on this project, and he generally prefer Male interns as the area is quite large and he have had experience of Females not being very comfortable in the depths of the slum area.

I was mostly occupied with the regular field trips, there were a very few days where we did not visit the area.

And area I worked on was pretty cramped up with dwellings, but the people had a very friendly approach and were very much interested in our idea.

Best things

Interactions with all kinds of people.

Bad things

Nothing

Stipend

Nil

Biggest Lessons

Slum areas people have a concept that if any one ask any questions regarding home, they think that they will be removed from there place.

Getting the data after convincing them is one of the hard task. I was lucky to convince them and got data from them.

I found that the life of poor people and their lifestyle, which shocked me after I worked in that place.

I am still attach with that organisation and if I get some spare time, I go with them for doing that survey.

This internship was my 1st internship and I enjoyed that very much.

Overall Rating

10

Accommodation

PG is available. My home was near to that place so accommodation was not required.

Office Timings

Timings were flexible and upon your discretion.

It was almost field work. I worked from 10 am to 2:30 pm.