My time at the Heinrich Böll Foundation Cambodia

In the course of my studies as a political student at the University of Konstanz, I researched on female entrepreneurship and empowerment with an emphasis on Cambodia. My interest in the topic and Cambodia went beyond my research. Therefore, I applied for an internship at the Heinrich Böll Foundation Cambodia, to get to know the country and learn more about its political situation.

The Heinrich Böll office in Phnom Penh welcomed me with open arms and throughout my three-month internship I worked in the program field of Gender and Development. On this matter, I did research on thirty years of elections in Cambodia with a focal point on women’s involvement and struggles in the political sphere. Furthermore, for Pride Month 2023, I got to organize a small side event in cooperation with a local organization and learned more about the situation of the LGBTQI+ community in Cambodia.

During my three-month internship, I got the opportunity to attend several meetings and events for example European Youth Day organized by the European delegation or events regarding textile waste opportunities by the GIZ. Therefore, I was able to get an integrated glimpse of how international development cooperation works.

My time at the Heinrich Böll Foundation went by so quickly, but I made some meaningful experiences and gained a lot of knowledge. Besides that, my colleagues at the HBF Foundation were always kind, supportive, and truly the best, making my internship unforgettable.