As an International Development student from the University of Sussex in Beijing, part of a group of students interning through CRCC Asia, I felt like I had a strong theoretical background in China’s development but was completely uncertain of what to expect upon starting my internship with MCF in Beijing. After one week of interning with MCF, I can safely say that the whole experience has vastly surpassed my expectations.
Having only been in Beijing a few days and just getting to grips with the city itself, I was nervous on Monday morning. However, upon arriving at the office, myself and my fellow intern, Liam, were quickly put at ease by Lorna, who ran us through a general induction before outlining our daily administrative tasks, including managing the social media, email accounts and organising donations, as well as other ideas for projects such as merchandise and event organisation. She seemed very open to our input, and while we were certainly to be kept busy, there was flexibility to direct the internship towards our specific areas of interest. After a street food lunch and a coffee from Baker & Spice, we returned to the office and met the Program Manager, Lizzie, who talked us through a project to adapt an educational programme on reproductive health to make it suitable for teaching at the migrant schools in which MCF work. Combining topics related to gender rights with education within migrant schools gave me the opportunity to integrate several of my interests, so I was excited to get started on this project. I finished the day already feeling positive about what was to come over the short period of four weeks that we were to be in Beijing.
On Tuesday, after completing our general admin tasks and sorting donations, we met Helen, the founder of MCF. We then left the office to visit one of the migrant schools at which MCF work with Helen and Lorna. Through this, not only did we get the opportunity to see parts of the city we had not visited yet, but we got to see elements of life in Beijing that would be completely missed by the average visitor. It also showed us first-hand how valuable the support MCF provides is in providing opportunities to children who cannot access local education in Beijing.
By Wednesday it already felt like we had been at MCF more than a few days; both through all we had learnt and what we had been able to contribute. We met with Lizzie and she looked through the changes we had made to material on the female reproductive system; it was sent off to be translated into Mandarin later that same day. In the afternoon, I worked on a research piece about global migration and began designing a poster for an India themed fundraising event MCF is holding soon. The event sounds like a lot of fun; with henna, traditional Indian dancing and a culinary feast cooked up by Reshma Khan, of Parwaaz. Through having the flexibility to choose what we worked on most afternoons, I believe we have already gained a lot in terms of our own professional development. Equally, through updating the social media pages and email accounts throughout the week as part of my daily tasks, I have gained a great insight into the variety of work that MCF do as a charity; from education and creative arts, to work in reproductive rights and self-defence for girls, to health checks, eye tests, to providing support for children facing life-threatening illnesses and physical rehabilitation for children living with disabilities.
On Thursday, we spent the entire day out of the office, visiting an organic farm on the outskirts of the city. Once again, we were exposed to the sheer size of Beijing– as Helen half-joked, you can drive for five hours and still be in the city – and visited an area we never would have otherwise experienced. The farm itself is ecologically friendly and promotes sustainable soil practices, and MCF is considering running educational programs there. We were at the base of the mountains – which, through the smog, I had not even realised were near Beijing – and surrounded by lush countryside. This was a stark contrast to the cityscape we had got used to in central Beijing. In my interview, I had mentioned to Lorna that I was interested in photography, which she had remembered and asked me to photograph the farm and surrounding areas, while Liam took notes of the resources at the farm and possible activities for the children. We then visited two more schools in the surrounding area that MCF may start working with.
On Friday we were back in the office and had a chance for reflection over the past week, about all we had learnt about MCF and the projects we had worked on. Just one week in, I think I have gained personally, through experiencing elements of China I would have been unexposed to; professionally, through understanding how an NGO like MCF operates, networking and being able to direct my internship towards the areas I want to gain experience in; and academically, through gaining a deeper, practical understanding of development issues and the barriers that prevent children from accessing education. Friday came to a close with a meeting with Paula, a volunteer who just finished her Masters in Beijing, and amongst other things, we discussed the practicalities of pursuing further study here. The fact that both Liam and I are considering this after one week is a testament to how much we are enjoying Beijing and our time with MCF.