We titled this blog after our favorite song that we hear almost nine times a night. But seriously, it actually is over, and we couldn’t be happier with our experience. On Friday, we presented in front of the director of NTA (the Namibian Training Authority), which COSDEF is under. We had prepared a written executive summary for all of the Support Unit members as well as a powerpoint presentation. We also provided examples of the marketing materials we had made–a general COSDEF brochure and handouts for each course offered. The purpose of our presentation was for the Support Unit to know where to allocate funds they recently received. We were a little nervous because it was our first business presentation. However, we felt like it went really well. At the end of the presentation, they individually thanked us for our efforts and honest recommendations.
Overall, we learned a lot about development. We have formed our own opinions about how the government should be involved and how efforts should be cohesive. Because this internship was so specific, we both have a better idea of where we fit into development work. In addition, we have experienced how race relations are in another country and how they differ from the U.S.
Even though we have only been here for two months, we feel that our experience has been very complete because there have been many phases to time here. We have experienced being tourists, working, volunteering, and living in a developing country. Maia is on her way home, and Eli is off on another journey to Zambia for two weeks. We are both looking forward to coming home, but we know this is not our last time in Africa.
