Sabrina Ahmed
Mundus MAPP, Class of 2017
Intern, Solidarity Now, Athens
I did my internship with Solidarity Now at its Athens Center in Greece. The center provides services like primary health care, legal aid, and employment support to marginalized people, people who are especially affected by the economic and social crisis. It works closely with the Municipality of Athens, and four different NGOs: PRAKSIS (Program for Development, Social Support and Medical Cooperation), ARSIS (Association for the Social Support for Youth), Network for Children's Rights, and Together for Children. The center also has a National Asylum Service.
My key responsibilities were maintaining the database of beneficiaries, assisting them to get specific services, providing the logistical support they need, and interpreting for South Asian beneficiaries.
Working with a humanitarian organization that provides services to asylum seekers, migrants, homeless, jobless, physically handicapped, drug addicts, etc. was a profound experience. It was overwhelming at times to deal with the overcrowded center where people came with a variety of problems and from different parts of the world. I had no idea of the type of assistance that might be needed by someone who has lost family members on the way to Europe and currently has no place to live. It is amazing, but sometimes even just a smile can give people the strength and courage to keep going.
Greece has not fully recovered from the economic crisis and yet it is offering shelter to thousands of asylum seekers and migrants from Asia, the Middle East, and Africa. I did not expect to meet people from my own country in the midst of Europe, but I met quite a few Bangladeshi migrants looking for healthcare and asylum services. These migrants were surprised to meet someone from Bangladesh in Athens. Helping my own people was one of the most gratifying aspects of this internship.
As a public policy student, I am especially interested in evidence-based policy making. This organization and this internship gave me the chance to see evidence-based policy making in action. I saw how state policy and even EU policy can become meaningless during a crisis if they fail to address the actual problem of the majority of people.
I am grateful to the SPP Office of Career Services and to Ann and Marija for their support and advice during the entire period that I was searching for an internship. My summer could not have been better. Though I had to write my thesis report during the internship and on weekends, I also managed to visit some of the Greek islands, the beauty of which will remain in my heart forever.
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