One of our talented scholars was selected for an internship with the United Nation Environmental Programme (Governance Affairs Office).

In this post Daniel shares an update on his experience in the program. Big congratulations Daniel!

UNITED NATIONS ENVIRONMENTAL PROGRAMME INTERNSHIP REPORT – DANIEL SHIRAKU

It is a pleasure to take this opportunity and share with you my six months’ experience as an intern at the United Nation Environmental Programme (Governance Affairs Office). After a successful application for the internship with the help of the CMETrust Kenya personnel, I began my internship in October 2021, the end date being March 2022. My role in the internship was administrative-related, but also primarily comprised of ICT work. Before the internship, I had graduated with a diploma in Graphic Design and Web Development from Maji Mazuri School of ICT.

For the first four months, I did my internship virtually from home since it was still the peak of the Covid- 19 pandemic, and every UN staff worked remotely. After four months of remote work, the UN offices were reopened because of the upcoming UNEA 5.2 and UNEP@50. The return-to-office model was adopted to speed up the planning process for these two events whose preparations had begun at the start of my internship.

During these two major events, I was stationed at the registration and logistic desk, which enabled me to get to meet different people from all over the world including ambassadors, UNEP member states, UN staff, and my fellow interns. Through my interactions with the different categories of people, I gained a lot of relevant insights relating to my career as I networked with different people. I also learned how to solve different issues at the events in my designation as I helped out with logistics-related tasks, and this was very thrilling and exciting.

Having worked in two distinctive working models during my internship (remote and on-site), I learned various challenges that come with each model. While working from home, I experienced challenges like power interruptions and internet issues, which made me often have to go to the CMETrust office for reliable internet and electricity. The key challenges that I faced while working from the UN complex were financial and logistical issues such as transportation, and at times I had to reach out for help to family members, friends, and CMETrust Kenya personnel.

Despite these challenges, my internship was a success and I gained a lot of experience and created a wide network from my interactions with UN staff as well as other interns from all over the world. I was also very happy to be part of the organizing team which made UNEA 5.2 and UNEP@50 successful.
After completion of my internship in March, I successfully secured an online UN volunteer position related to Graphic design work for three months with the UNDP-Global Fund for Coral Reefs, and that is my current designation. I am grateful to the CMETrust Kenya personnel for their support and always believing in me. Thank you!