February 15, 2024
News
Juliette Begouen Demeaux is a master's student of Security Studies at Charles University. She spent about three months as an intern at Caritas Czech Republic in the Humanitarian Aid and Development Cooperation Department. Juliette helped the communication team write articles and assist with administrative tasks. We sat down with Juliette to learn more about her experience at Caritas Czech Republic.
Why did you decide to do an internship in a humanitarian organisation? Were you motivated by your previous experiences?
For years, I had the desire to work for an international organisation involved in humanitarian aid and development, as I was very interested in their work and how they can help people in need. I have participated in several volunteering projects, and I thought this internship could best fit my journey. Moreover, I believed it could, at the same time, help me get experience in a field that interested me and help people across the world.
Was it your first experience with a humanitarian organisation?
I volunteered for Amnesty International, Oxfam Quebec, and other local organisations in Canada. But this was my first time doing an internship with a humanitarian organisation.
You stayed with Caritas Czech Republic for three months. What did you focus on during your internship?
My internship lasted from October 2023 to the beginning of January 2024. I mainly wrote and edited articles for the website, helped with the Caritas Czech Republic's social media pages and the newsletter. It was definitely a new and exciting experience as I have never done anything similar in the past, but I am glad I did it, and I learned a lot during the internship.
What did you enjoy most about your time at Caritas Czech Republic?
I particularly enjoyed the positive environment and my colleagues who were all very supportive and helped me whenever I had problems or doubts about a task. The team in the Communication Department is not too big, which I believe helped me to have more personal relationships with my colleagues, and made it easier to adapt to the new environment more accessible.
I also really liked the duality of both working in the office with other interns and colleagues and participating in various interesting events. I had the chance to work at Caritas Czech Republic's stand during the celebration of the Velvet Revolution, and it was a very pleasant experience. We created activities for the kids and talked to the people who came to the celebration to spread awareness about Caritas Czech Republic's work.
You mentioned that it was your first experience interning at a humanitarian organisation. Is there anything that surprised you about your internship?
What surprised me the most about the internship was the complexity of the organisation. When I was volunteering for others, I only saw the evaluation and the results. However, by being part of Caritas Czech Republic, I really saw all the work behind helping people in need and how many people have to interact and put in an effort in order to ensure the smooth functioning of the organisation. I also got to do many interviews with other colleagues, and I was able to dig into their work, which was very interesting and enlightening.
Would you recommend the internship at Caritas Czech Republic to others?
I would definitely recommend the internship at Caritas Czech Republic to students who, like me, are enrolled in the International Security Programme, as it would allow them to gain experience in the international cooperation sector. I encourage anyone interested in working for a humanitarian organisation to apply.
What are your future plans?
I am a second-year master's student, so I am working on my thesis for now, but I would like to get more experience and do a volunteer project abroad.
Would you be interested in doing an internship at Caritas Czech Republic? Find out more about the programmes at the Humanitarian Aid and Development Cooperation department at the link below.
