Written by Grace Gott
Last year while at the US Embassy, I found myself frustrated at the political nature of their work which often translated into a barrier and reluctance to respond to human rights and developmental concerns. Apart from differing goals, I loved the life of a diplomat and the ability to explore the world while helping people (just in a different fashion than I preferred). Therefore my goal for this summer was to get a grasp of the work that is done by International non-governmental organizations (INGOs).
I started the summer of 2023 working with a think tank that mostly focused on political rights and I learned a lot of important communication skills such as writing a press release and an opinion editorial and also did a lot of capacity-building-centered events, created social media infographics and finalized the reports that this organization was working on. I appreciated that working in a think tank allowed me to feel like I really understood the topics we were writing about. After every report, I felt like an expert. I worked in this think tank for the first 6 weeks of the summer and then got the chance to explore a variety of other INGOs that worked in the social human rights field. I spent 2 days a week working at an anti-trafficking organization and 2 days a week working in the community engagement team at an organization that provided assistance to urban refugees.
At the anti-trafficking organization I was working on a project where I was documenting aftercare services for trafficking victims in different countries in the region that way when our organization rescues foreign national victims from trafficking we can connect them with an organization in their home country that can provide for them an ensure that they do not end up back in a situation that will allow them to be re-trafficked. This job taught me a lot about the reality of human trafficking, but also taught me the importance of partnerships in INGO work. One of the most shocking things to me about this work is the impact of gender and the moral panic of specific forms of trafficking which translates to other forms of trafficking having fewer resources dedicated to them. For example, those who had been victims of sex trafficking had many more resources than those who were involved in labor trafficking or forced scamming. Similarly, women and children had far greater resources and there were some countries that did not have any shelters at all for adult men. I learned similar concepts at the urban refugee organization such as the importance of INGO partnerships as I got the chance to attend a Protection Working Group meeting where Refugee organizations discussed issues that they are having and casework and together sought solutions. I also got the chance to understand the importance of trying to create a life that is not just about survival. For example, my organization hosted a farm that made milky mushrooms both as a source of food security and income for the refugees. However, when completing a needs assessment event with some community leaders there were complaints from community members and children about these mushrooms not tasting good and therefore they were asking to switch plants to something that these community members would like. This was a really cool reminder that just because one is in an underprivileged position doesn't mean that they should have to give up basic luxuries such as eating food that is enjoyable.
Because I got to work for 3 different organizations this summer, I learned a lot about the importance of company culture and the differences in larger and smaller INGOs. While there is so much passion in smaller INGOs, much of their time is dedicated to applying for grants and they are often bound to projects with little flexibility because of these grants. Smaller INGOs biggest barrier is definitely finances. Smaller INGOs also mean that each person takes on a larger role and has more responsibility. I also learned that it is easier for smaller organizations to have a company culture that is not accommodating often because of the supreme authority of the director and because of the lack of an established HR department. Whereas embassy/governmental work and work of international organizations like the UN are less bound by laws, NGOs can only do as much as the local government allows, which specifically in the refugee context, in which refugees in Thailand are considered stateless, was frustrating, but allowed me to gain a better understanding of the barriers that INGOs face. INGOs do really great work abroad and it was an honor to be able to learn about them this summer.
Grace Gott received the Internship Scholarship from the Tobias Center for Innovation in International Development in the summer of 2023.