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University of Groningen
Faculty of Arts
INTERNSHIP REPORT
By
Vasiliki Apatzidou (s3819396)
Programme of Study: Master’s Degree Programme in International
Humanitarian Action (NOHA)
Name of Organisation: Defence for Children International Greece
Internship Period: 11
thOctober, 2019 to 29th February, 2020
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Table of Contents
1. Introduction……….2
1.1. Choice and Obtaining of Internship……….2
1.2. Expectations to the internship………...3
2. About Organization, structure, goals, etc………3
3. Work Tasks……….5
3.1. Evaluation of tasks conducted………..6
4. Internship Supervision……….7
5. Life in .. ………..7
5.1. Housing Condition………7
5.2. Conditions of living………..7
5.3.Costs of living……….8
6. Tips and advice for future interns……….8
7. Conclusion………8
7.1. Personal learning ………..8
7.2. Fulfillment of expectations………..11
7.3. Internship as part of NOHA………..11
7.4. Future job options………12
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1. Introduction
As part of the 2 years Master’s Programme in International Humanitarian Action
(NOHA), the students have to perform a 5-month internship in the third semester in
order to acquire 30 ECTS. This report concerns this internship. The report is written in
the end of the internship by the student who performed it and is being sent to the home
institution to evaluate it and grade it.
Thus, I am drafting this internship report to reflect on my experience working with
Defence for Children International (DCI) Greece. The internship started on the 11
thof
October 2019 and the last day was on Friday the 28
thof February 2020. I firmly believe
that the internship is a way to learn the practical aspects of what is taught in the
University lecture halls and broaden your knowledge in this field.
This is an internship report that describes the profile of the chosen organization, the
acquisition of the internship, the expectations, life situation and most importantly the
various lessons learnt through this experience.
1.1 Choice and Obtaining of the Internship
The previous year, we had to carefully think whether we want to follow the university
or the internship track in the third semester. From the first time, I had in mind that I
want to follow the internship track as I wanted to gain some experience on project
management and project writing, and the internship would be an excellent opportunity.
Moreover, I was interested particularly in the ECHO internship that was offered by
NOHA. Thus, in the beginning I had applied for the ECHO internship and I was
accepted for this. Unfortunately, in the end of June 2019, I was informed that the
internships with ECHO were cancelled and I had to look for another internship.
The summer period was quite difficult and since the beginning of September, I had not
found an internship. I carefully thought of my options then, and I saw a post from DCI
that they were looking for a project management intern in Geneva. I applied for this
post and the Director of the NGO in Geneva contacted me and proposed me to go to
Greece, Athens in order to help the Greek Section of the NGO that needs support in the
project management field due to the refugee crisis in the country.
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Following the communication with the Director in Geneva, I decided to have a meeting
with the Director of DCI-Greek Section in order to explain to me what DCI Greece is
doing, which is the area of its intervention and what projects they implement so far. She
asked me what are my skills and experience in the field of project writing, and she
explained the duties to me. I carefully thought of this option and I was very interested
for this as it was an internship focusing on project management and writing, and I was
happy that I would be able to return in Greece and contribute to the betterment of the
vulnerable people on the move and specifically unaccompanied children. Thus, after
the meeting with the NGO Director in Greece, and attending a training with DCI in
Geneva, I was sure that I want to take this opportunity and it is something that I have
not regret so far.
1.2 Expectations to the internship
From the first time I was selected for this internship, I knew that the main focus will be
on project writing, project management and fundraising and these are the skills I would
develop. The Director of the NGO explained to me that since then they had only one
project on legal support of unaccompanied children, they wanted to extend their
interventions also in other fields. Thus, they wanted someone that would be able to look
for possible donors and write project proposals in order to gain funding and implement
various projects. I thought from the first time that it was a good chance for me to take
initiatives, develop both my writing and communication skills and gain a first-hand
experience on project writing. Furthermore, I was expecting to gain technical skills such
as how to draft budgets and advance my organization skills. Of course, I was expecting
to advance also my theoretical skills in the field of migration and refugee protection
and to better understand the response of Greece to the refugee crisis. The most
important is that through this internship, I would be able to apply in practice what I’ve
learned in the University, and particularly in the courses of Management and Advanced
Management in Humanitarian Action. Finally, I was expecting that I will get connected
and develop a network with highly skilled people that work in the refugee protection
field in Greece.
2. About Organisation, structure, goals, etc.
Defence for Children International – Greece (DCIG) is the Greek national section
of ‘Defence for Children International (DCI)’, an international child-rights movement
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and non-governmental organization established in 1979 in Geneva and represented in
36 countries.
‘Defence for Children International – Greece’ is committed to securing a
just and viable future for all children present on the Greek territory. DCIG aims to
ensure through its actions that childrens’ voices are heard and their rights are fully
respected in practice. Since DCIG’s inception in 2016, it is one of the few human rights
organizations specifically focused on children’s rights in Greece. The highest value is
the pursuit of each child’s best interests and the enjoyment of their childhood with
dignity. To this end, their work is guided by the United Nations’ Convention on the
Rights of the Child (UNCRC), as well as other international, regional and local
standards. As a national section of Defence for Children International (DCI), it pledges
to follow DCI’s mandate to “promote and protect children’s rights in accordance with
international standards.” At the same time, DCIG autonomously develops its own
programs in response to contextual needs of Greece.
Since DCIG’s inception in 2016, it is one of the few human rights organizations
specifically focused on children’s rights in Greece. DCI Greece is aiming to fill in the
existing gap in the migrant child protection system, by offering free direct legal and
protection services to children on the move and in urgent need. The team of legal and
child protection advisors works on the ground, outreaching to children, on the streets,
camps, protective custody and shelters. With its interventions, these children obtain
legal status, find safety and shelter, get released from detention, are protected from
smuggling and exploitation, are enrolled to schools and get reunited with their families
in other EU countries. They become empowered and informed about their rights.
Through the trust bond that is created with them they start to believe in themselves and
dream again.
The DCIG team is consisted of 5 staff members with great expertise on both national and
international law in the area of child protection, and 1 intern and 2 volunteers. There is one
Director, one lawyer, the Children Rights Helpdesk Coordinator, one administrative assistant
and an advocacy officer. I was the intern on project management and there are also two
volunteers, a psychologist and a lawyer. The team is next to the children in need and capable
of reaching out to them 24/7 and providing legal assistance. The headquarters of DCIG is
based in Athens. In 2018/2019 DCI’s Children’s Rights Helpdesk supported more than 950
children on the move in urgent need (
https://www.defenceforchildrengreece.org/
).
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A great acknowledgment of the work with unaccompanied children came from the Swedish
Organisation Child 10 which awarded the founder and Director of DCI Greece as one of the
10 exceptional individuals in the globe for working daily with children on the move victims
of exploitation and abuse http://child10.org/.
3. Work Tasks
The main task of the internship was to identify potential donors and open calls and write
project proposals. So, from the first time I did an EXCEL document where I would write all
the possible donors and open calls with their deadlines in order to later discuss with the
Director about these opportunities and decide for which we want to apply. One of my tasks
was to always update the excel file with new funding opportunities and open calls.
Sometimes the donors would organise information sessions and I would be responsible to
attend them. In these sessions the donors would explain the call in detail and give us
information and instructions on how to write the project proposal.
Thus, the main task for me was to write project proposals. The first project proposal I wrote
was for the extension of the already implemented ‘Can you hear me?’ project. The Director
wanted to extend its activities except of the field of legal support, to case management and
child protection. Then, I drafted a project proposal on mentorship for the integration of
unaccompanied children. Another project was for the creation of a ‘Healing Centre’ for
refugee children. Moreover, I drafted a project proposal on advocacy for alternatives to
immigration detention for unaccompanied children and another on alternative care.
In some of these projects, we had to apply together with partners, so the Director and I would
look and contact potential partners. It is really important that the partners would always
collaborate a lot with me and consult me on how to draft the proposals. The communication
with the partners was a very important task for me.
Except of the identification of donors and the writing of the project proposals, I also worked
on fundraising. We organized a crowd funding campaign before the Christmas period, and
this was a process that I took actively part in.
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Moreover, we launched an advocacy campaign about the inhumane situation that the refugee
children face in the Greek islands. I helped a lot with the launching of this campaign through
sharing the campaign in the social media.
One of my tasks was also to draft a report about the situation of unaccompanied refugee
children in Greece. This report was submitted to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child
as Greece will be reviewed from the Committee on 2020. I was responsible for the drafting of
this report with the support of the Helpdesk coordinator. It was a 22-pages report that was
submitted to the Committee and it describes the human rights situation of the children on the
move in Greece. In this framework, I was also invited to the UN CRC pre-session in Geneva,
where this report and other reports submitted by the civil society were discussed. In Geneva I
went with the Director of the NGO (my supervisor).
Finally, as I have a legal background, I was sometimes asked to help them with the legal
procedures of the children as there are only two lawyers in the organisation, so I had
sometimes to either write legal memos for the asylum interviews of the children or help with
the family reunification cases of the children.
As DCI Greece is quite small in size and there is not enough capacity, I was trying to help
with various tasks but it is true that most of the time I was working on project writing.
However, I did not have any problem to help the personnel with other tasks such as fundraising
and get involved in the legal cases of the children.
3.1 Evaluation of tasks conducted
The evaluation of tasks has been conducted by the Director of the NGO Ms. Nantina Tsekeri
who has also filled the evaluation form. I had also the chance to work a lot with the Helpdesk
Coordinator, Ms.Iris Papa. The final assessment report has been filled by my supervisor and
will be submitted to the University of Groningen, in the end of the internship.
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4. Internship Supervision
My supervisor was the Director of the NGO, Ms Nantina Tsekeri that supported me and gave
me instructions from the first day. My supervisor from the University of Groningen is Dr.
Talita Cetnoglu who was discussing with me about the internship through Skype calls.
5. Life in ….
Athens, was very interesting. Although I am from Greece, it was the first time for me to live
in Athens, as in the past, I was living and studying in Thessaloniki. So, I had to rent a house
and get used to Athens that is such a big city. It is a beautiful and historic city with its ancient
centre surrounded by lots of cafes, restaurants and shops. The Centre is walkable but in general
you need the metro or the bus to go to other areas. I was living in an area in the Western side
of Athens, and the office of the internship was in the centre, but I could easily go there with
the metro. For me it was easy to adjust in Athens as I am Greek and I have already some
friends there. Moreover, my home town is not so far away so I can easily visit in the weekends.
In general I would say that I enjoyed my time in Athens and I would like in the future to live
there.
5.1 Social Environment
I had already some friends living in Athens that we were studying Law in the past in the same
university. However, I had the chance to get to know also other people and specifically the
people working in the NGO and other partner NGOs. The social environment in Athens is
versatile. There are many cultural events so I had the chance to often go to the theatre, cinema
and concerts. The nightlife also in Athens is very nice, although due to the internship and the
study for my thesis I was not able to go out often.
5.2 Housing Conditions
It is really difficult to find a house in Athens due to the airbnb. I was lucky enough to find a
house close to the metro in a reasonable price although it is not in the centre.
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5.3 Costs of living
In general Greece is not an expensive country. I was able to rent a house for myself for 400
euro per month, and the metro card was only for 30 euro per month. The food and coffee in
Greece are also cheap in comparison to northern Europe. The supermarkets have the same
prices as in the Netherlands.
6. Tips and advice for future interns
I truly recommend Greece and DCI for future internships. DCI is an organization that truly
cares about refugee children and dedicates a lot of time for the resolution of their cases. It is
an international NGO that has the support from other DCI sections and this makes the work
with DCI very interesting. DCI Greece is looking for interns in various fields, not only in
project writing, but also on communications, interpreting and legal and psychological support.
The people working with DCI have expertise and knowledge in the field of child protection.
The life in Greece is also very interesting. It is a good option for students with financial
difficulties that need to pursue an unpaid internship, as Greece is quite cheap and students can
easily afford the life there. Moreover, the refugee crisis has made Greece in need of
humanitarian support and students interesting in refugee and child protection can gain great
experience in this field.
7. Conclusion
In this last part, I am going to refer to the learning outcomes and reflect on the learning
process. During the internship, I had the chance to advance my knowledge and understanding
on various important issues. Specifically:
7.1 Personal learning
Τhe internship with DCI was for me a chance to gain valuable experience in a complex
multi-cultural and stimulating work environment. Through this internship I learned my limits and
realised what I am capable of doing or not doing.
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The first day I arrived, the supervisor and the Helpdesk Coordinator talked to me a lot about
the organisation and their main project ‘Can you hear me’ that aims to provide legal assistance
and representation to unaccompanied refugee children. We discussed about my tasks and they
said that we will be working all together and that I will also have a lot of support from DCI
Geneva and DCI Belgium.
Even from the first day, I had to look for open calls because some of these had deadlines that
were closing soon. This helped me to adapt easily to this new environment and work carefully
and hard even from the first day.
The main skills that I acquired were the writing skills and specifically I learned how to write
project proposals. Even though the Director of the NGO is a lawyer and she does not have
experience in project writing, she was always supporting me. The most important is that she
brought me in contact with project managers from other DCI sections that were really helpful
and supportive. They were always reviewing the final draft of the project proposal before it is
sent to the donor.
I acquired many skills in the field of project writing, and LogFrame designing. I managed to
implement in practice what I learned in the courses of Management and Advanced
Management in my Masters. I learned to be clear and readable, meaning to write in a
non-complicated manner and be able to get my message across without confusing anyone. I
developed excellent planning and organisational skills and managed to develop innovative
ideas.
Moreover, I gained technical skills such as how to draft budgets for the projects. I acquired
the ability to plan the estimated costs and estimate the total of the amount requested.
I also improved my skills on fundraising and realised possible ways of identifying funding for
an NGO except of the project writing. I believe that through this I became more creative and
capable of thinking of innovative solutions such as organising a crowd funding campaign.
Furthermore, I gained excellent communication skills as I had to communicate with both the
potential donors and the partners. I managed to be persuasive with the donors but also
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understand that sometimes we need to compromise. I also acquired very good coordination
skills as I had many times to coordinate with the partners who will undertake each duty. I
acquired also the ability to establish a relationship and gain the respect not only from our
partners but also from the donors.
I gained team work skills as I had to cooperate with the personnel of the NGO for many topics.
As most of them are working there since the establishment of the NGO, I had to work close
with them to write the proposals. I was able to be effective and efficient through the work in
the team.
Moreover, I remember that in my second semester in the University of Malta, I had a course
on Applied Ethics in Humanitarian Action; but it is only when we are introduced to the actual
environment that we learn work ethics. Thus, this experience helped me to advance my
understanding and awareness on issues of work ethics such as integrity, discipline and
emphasis on quality work.
Finally, I developed multitasking skills as due to the limited capacity of the NGO, I was
involved in many tasks such as drafting the UNCRC Report and legal memos for the asylum
cases of the minors.
Through the opportunity to work on project writing, that is a field that I am highly interested
in, I realised better what I like to do and I confirmed my passion on project writing. Moreover,
through the drafting of the projects I’ve learned what kinds of language, phrases and words I
should use when I refer to the donors, and how this must change when the addressee is
someone else - such as the European Union or NGOs. Language matters, and it is useful that
I had the chance to acknowledge this fact better through my internship.
Finally, I learned not only to work under pressure and for many hours when it is needed, but
also to be creative and find things to do when I do not have specific tasks to accomplish. In
the end, I gained an expertise on migration and asylum issues especially regarding
unaccompanied minors and children on the move, and project writing skills, that I will be able
to utilise during my future work.
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7.2 Fulfillment of Expectations
All in all, I would say that this experience matched my expectations. In the first half of the
internship, since the Christmas holidays, it was quite intense and I had many things to do. Due
to the limited capacity of the NGO and the fact that it is consisted only of 5 people, I was
involved in many different tasks, but project writing was always the main focus for me. After
Christmas, that we managed to ensure some funding, the situation was better.
It was really interesting to work in an environment like this and I have a very good
relationship with the personnel of the NGO. I learned many things and I believe I have
acquired real expertise and experience in the field of project writing. The fact that I was also
involved in other activities such as fundraising activities or launching of advocacy campaigns,
helped me to gain an insight form other important activities of the civil society actors. I believe
that through this internship, all my expectations were met and I am really happy with this.
Something negative is that no one in the NGO had experience in project writing so I had to
work hard and for many hours in order to write the proposals by myself. However, as DCI is
an international NGO, I always had support from other staff members abroad through Skype.
Moreover, my supervisor was always reviewing the proposals before sending them to the
donors, and we were always discussing together about our ideas.
From the first time I knew that the Greek section of DCI is a small NGO that needs support
and I would have to take initiatives and work hard. This is exactly what I wanted as I had the
chance to develop the skills that I want and feel equal part of the team. My expectations were
fulfilled and I believe that this experience will be beneficial for the future.
Finally, I had the chance to meet people that are working there and build a professional
network that may be useful for the future.
7.3 Internship as part of NOHA
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