Tony Mwamba

ULB-Coopération Kinshasa was a wonderful discovery because I had no idea it existed or what it did in Congo. It was thanks to the testimonials of some colleagues that my curiosity was piqued and I decided to do my final-year internship there.

Generally in the DRC, international NGOs focus their interventions in the provinces and outskirts because community needs are greater there. Discovering that ULB-Coopération was involved in various projects with a significant impact in Kinshasa changed my view of cooperation structures and influenced my future career plans.

I found a close-knit team where each member knew their responsibilities and tasks. My integration into the team went smoothly. I was attached to my internship supervisor and often attended external meetings with various managers from the health zone and beneficiary health centers.

I was asked to develop a monitoring and evaluation framework for three micro-health projects launched in the Kintambo health zone in order to determine their effectiveness and impact. To best fulfill this mission, I was constantly in the field organizing interviews with health center managers. It was a very enjoyable experience that allowed me to step outside my comfort zone and meet new people.

These projects bring hope and joy to the beneficiary communities. Every time I went out into the field, I felt like Santa Claus carrying gifts, because my presence generated so much excitement. As I had hoped, this internship in Kinshasa allowed me to confront local realities and thus immerse myself more fully in the field of evaluation and planning.

The office environment was ideal, allowing me to work in a cool, quiet space. There was such a collegial atmosphere that sometimes I didn’t feel like an intern, but rather a full member of the team.

I come away from this internship with a sense of accomplishment because I completed my mission, but I also know that it would have been even better if I had had more time to see how my monitoring and evaluation framework would be used. It was a real and enjoyable professional experience that I would recommend to anyone looking for an internship. ULB-Coopération was a fulfilling environment and gave me a chance to apply the knowledge I gained in my master’s program, and I can honestly say that my time there was really rewarding in terms of developing and maintaining professional relationships.

The projects