Organizing your internship

Making the connection to TASO was easy. A friend and classmate of mind from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) had interned at TASO Uganda a few years back. He told me about his experiences there over a casual dinner, likely not anticipating that I would seriously consider it.

Over the next couple of months I spoke with my friend about his work experiences, the cultural adjustments, logistics of planning his stay and overall value he thought it added to his career and personal life today. Of course we came from different backgrounds, experiences in developing countries and as a female traveling alone unfortunately this comes with special considerations he likely wouldn’t have experienced.

It was shortly after these discussions my friend introduced me over email to Dr. Josephine Birungi. Dr. Birungi is the TASO Research Manager across all TASO sites, a co-founder of a Community Based Organisation (CBO) called HOCDA, a practicing physician, as well as student completing her MBA -an impressive woman to say the least! Dr. Birungi operates amongst a very qualified and supportive team at TASO Headquarters who may also be involved in your internship facilitation. However in my experience, despite the accumulating letters and achievements to her name, Dr. Birungi took time answer in detail my questions over several weeks. Through these early experiences it became apparent that TASO as an organization values mentoring students and new graduates in reaching their career aspirations and benefiting from exchanging knowledge.

To share a few highlights from our conversations, here are some things to consider before committing to a placement at TASO Uganda:

Identify where in Uganda you want to go

There are 11 TASO centres spread across Uganda- Mulago (Kampala), Kanyanya Training Centre, Jinja, Gulu, Mbale, Soroti, Tororo, Entebbe, Masindi, Rukungiri, Masaka and Mbarara.

*Image taken from: http://sprudge.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/map_of_uganda.jpg

Since you will be spending more than half your time outside of work, it’s good to do some research on the area you want to explore and stay in.

What type of experience do you want to gain/what can you offer to TASO

TASO can provide placements for undergraduates or graduate students, graduates or volunteers who are in the medical, psychosocial field (i.e. counselling), public health, international development, media/communication, monitoring & evaluation and project planning. If you have a reasonable skill to offer, they will find a relevant area you can help in.

When you are ready to submit an application, you will be asked to identify 3 key areas you want to gain from the internship placement and the talents you have to offer. When you are ready to apply, email the contacts at the end of the post.

Accommodation

Once you select the TASO centre or project you are interested in, Dr. Birungi and her colleague Emmanuel Mugalanzi (TASO internship coordinator) will find a suitable place to stay. It is important to be clear on your budget and comfort level (with safety never being negotiable element) to help them find the right fit. If you don’t’ specify your preference, you are likely to end up with an expensive place. There are homestays that can be arranged (generally for cheaper) for a fully immersed experience, guesthouses usually with other volunteers and expat workers, hostels with backpackers or hotels with mostly business people.

Duration

Most interns are asked to commit 3 months of their time while at TASO. If this timeframe is not feasible discussing this with Dr. Birungi or Emmanuel will be good to establish early on.

Cost of living and what to budget

TASO expects interns to pay $200 USD per month to participate in the internship program. I must admit I was apprehensive to pay as I was spending quite a large sum to get over there and loss of wages from taking time off work, but once I understood where these costs were going I changed my tune.  All TASO staff and clients pay user fees, so interns are not the exception. Money goes towards funding services here, fuel costs for airport pickup and drop off, travel to different sites, office supplies, a space for you in the centre and other administration costs.

To work out a budget for your trip, it is important to get rough costs of living. The best way I found to do this wasn’t an-up-to-date website, but through talking to other expats who have lived in the area of Uganda you are moving to. You will likely end up paying a lot more than locals because of your appearance, so it is important to brush up on your bargaining skills. I will get into more details later about specific cost of things once I arrived.

Cultural considerations & safety

It is in TASO’s best interest to ensure you have a safe and good experience for its interns. I find TASO tends to be overly cautious with its advice to international interns so you avoid common pitfalls. Listen to the locals’ advice about specific areas and things to watch for, but generally some common sense and confidence will help keep you safe.

Uganda was recently voted the 10^th most hospitable place in all of Africa. I was more surprised to find how hospitable people were here than dangerous. Ugandans are very welcoming and treat you as if you were an extended family member. What was helpful for me was networking from back home through family, friends and colleagues I trusted, which will help with your integration into the culture and staying safe.

Friends of TASO alumni

My intention of beginning this blog series was to help expand the FriendsofTASO and intern alumni. This can provide an opportunity to discuss questions with people with different perspectives on any questions you may have. It also has the benefit to network through alumni, connect with locals, stay up-to-date with what’s happening at TASO, make donations.  A Facebook group will be created shortly for those interested to join. I will add a comment to the bottom of this post once it is live.

In the next blog I will share with you my preparations leading into my journey to TASO and lessons learned about things I would have prepared for differently.

Until next time,

Jillian

*Contact Dr. Birungi birungij@tasouganda.org or Emmanuel at: mugalanzie@tasouganda.org to register your interest with TASO and obtained an application form.

Let's get acquainted

Journey to the pearl of Africa- My TASO Uganda experience

Making the decision to come to Africa is no small decision for most Westerners. The generally negative reputation and almost exclusively fear-mongering news we see leads many of us to make sweeping judgements across an entire continent made up of 54 different countries and millions of people, which is extremely unfortunate.

As an individual, I want to begin to share my experiences to add a small stack on the other side about why Africa, and in particular Uganda, is a place of great opportunity and beautiful people. Uganda, is known as the Pearl of Africa, that is apparent once you set foot in this lush environment.

What brought me to Uganda was a chance to intern at one of the largest HIV/AIDS care and research institution in the developing world, named The AIDS Service Organization, or TASO for short (www.tasouganda.org). I recently graduated from my Masters of Science degree in Public Health from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM). The few months in-between my graduation ceremony I decided it would be valuable to gain more experience in an African context, which I hope to direct my career path towards to some capacity in the future. My focus on research and my previous employment experience has centred around HIV/AIDS, so in some sense it was a no-brainer to come aid in the battle in endemic countries.

Having worked in British Columbia, Canada, we have advanced our efforts to end AIDS, in part with Dr. Julio Montaner’s 90% of people at risk of HIV being tested, 90% of those who are HIV+ receiving treatment and 90% of those people advancing to a viral suppressed state (http://www.unaids.org/en/resources/documents/2014/90-90-90) .

Our prevalence figures on HIV+ persons are nowhere near what Uganda and many other countries globally face, yet these international goals are still trying to be met. The impact of ones work here can shift many lives if the right approach is taken alongside a reputable organization and a tireless team.

TASO Uganda has set the bar high with over 28 years of experience during a very unforgiving time in the late 80s. The 16 founding members stories are inspirational about what they worked for and the staff appreciated what a cornerstone this HIV/AIDSS prevention and treatment organization is to Uganda.

In the coming weeks I will detail my journey in setting up my internship with TASO, preparations for the trip, my arrival, first days of work, adjustment period, research project and the short-term effects of our work as well as wrapping up and reflecting on the entire experience. I hope to instil a curiosity that drives you to look into interning as a student or new graduate at TASO or getting a more accurate picture of what you may be in for.

Until the next time,

Jillian