Student Impressions
I was interested in the IEDP to acquire a deeper knowledge of natural disaster management... My family originates from Nicaragua in Central America, a country which has also been devastated by natural disasters, particularly earthquakes, tsunamis, and hurricanes. Learning how a developing country, with very limited resources, handles such devastation is my biggest take-away of the IEDP program. |
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I thought the trip was a good opportunity to listen to what the government says, from their own perspective as opposed to that of IGO staff or journalists... the interviews were more exciting that I had expected, as the responses seemed to contain a great deal of information not just about disaster management, but about [officials'] values and professionalism. |
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I applied for the IEDP trip with great expectations to understand a country’s political and policymaking process within a short period of time. I also hoped to harness my ability to meet with senior policymakers from a variety of fields. Finally, I hoped to develop a more comprehensive understanding of the challenges that confront Small Island Developing States. |
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The most attractive part of the IEDP program is that it aims to approximate the professional experience of a consulting project for an international organization, for example the World Bank. It requries both the ability and interest to digest a large amount of information before arriving in the country, but also the skill and professional know-how necessary to listen to expert viewpoints in-country. The final outcome, I hope, will be the integration of these insider and outsider perspectives into a useful document or tool. |
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