Background
My name is Nuha Elgindi and my internship at UNU-INWEH was during the period of 12 January to 8 June 2018. I am Sudanese but consider myself a Global Citizen as I studied in Sudan, UAE, Tunisia, UK and Canada. I completed an internship at UNU-INWEH as a partial commitment to complete my tri-continental Masters Degree on Global Business, University of Victoria.
The Experience
My work at UNU-INWEH entailed developing a Water Security Finance Module, part of the Global Water Security online course, and overall working with the Water Security and Nexus project. Under the supervision of Dr Nidhi Nagabhatla, I managed to develop a good understanding of key issues in relation to economics of water security and the intersections between them, while gaining in-depth knowledge on different aspects around water management and finance.
Nuha is a diligent scholar and a keen learner. During the internship at UNU-INWEH, she worked hard to understand and address complexity and embrace a multi-disciplinary approach to water management. – Nidhi Nagabhatla, Supervisor and Capacity Development Coordinator (UNU-INWEH)
Working in a global environment has given me the opportunity to interact directly with highly qualified professionals, innovative researchers, and top managers. I had the opportunity to join relevant lectures and seminars in and outside of UNU-INWEH. I also participated in a Global Water Futures event, held at McMaster University, where I created and presented a poster on Capacity Development for Water Security. The programme gave me an opportunity to work in a diverse environment, allowing me to interact and interns, scholars, and students from different countries, cultures, and backgrounds.
Looking Forward
Being part of a highly reputable organisation like UNU presented an excellent opportunity for gaining new knowledge and experience on an important development field –water security and finance. The learning enhanced my knowledge goal setting, career planning and overall professional development. It has also helped in setting priorities and managing multiple tasks and responsibilities. The internship tenure at UNU-INWEH also deepened my aim work in The United Nations system or another international organisation with complimenting mandate, particularly in the avenue of green technologies, sustainable business and development models. I plan to remain connected with UNU-INWEH with the forthcoming project addressing climate change, migration and gender interlinkages.
Take Away
Challenge yourself and work hard to fulfil your dreams and achieve your goals. We should never let something, or someone put us down and never say we can’t before we have ever really tried.
UNU-INWEH provides interns a chance to work in an international environment and experience first-hand the operations of the United Nations. In this volunteer programme, interns interact with staff members and contribute towards UN water research and training projects conducted in developing countries. Learn more about the Internship Programme here.