Internship with Fugee Org – Malaysia

The power of listening, sharing and leaving any pre-conceived beliefs and understandings aside.

From the comfort of my home, I believed I understood some of the obstacles experienced by refugees but I soon realised my understandings were so far from being a true understanding.

My main project was to interview the 20 recipients of educational scholarships from Fugee in Malaysia who were refugees mainly from Iran, Myanmar and Pakistan. This really was an eye-opener as I was unaware refugees awaiting final settlement allocations while living in Malaysia were not legally permitted to study, even though some of the refugees had already been in Malaysia awaiting final settlement for many years. 

While I was not physically in Malaysia when interviewing the refugees, this was a benefit to my work experience internship as it gave me the space to take time out from the interviews whenever they became more emotionally challenging. As I have children the same age as many of the refugees it was important I ensured my mental health was always at the top of my priorities.

Weekly check in session with a Fugee representative

The representatives from Fugee were well experienced in dealing with the emotions that can sometimes slip into the minds of people working with refugees for the first time and guided me through the various processes required to ensure I was supported throughout the internship. Their wealth of experience in dealing with refugees were a great learning tool for me and the experience I gained from their assistance were and will continue to be invaluable.

As a mature aged student, I came into the internship with experience travelling (10 years) and having had 3 children and with work experience spanning 45 years. I found a virtual internship gave me a perfect balance as well as an insight into working within the international sphere. It also allowed me to continue to care for my family and continue with my work commitments while still being able to complete projects assigned to me. 

By the end of my internship I felt I was valued by the organisation and was able to learn real life working skills that will assist me in my future career. The skills I learned with my internship in Malaysia will be highly valued by employers and my current organisation has already identified ways in which the skills gained can be used within my current work. It would have been impossible to have had the opportunities afforded me during my internship without the assistance of The Global Student, The New Columbo Plan and my university.

Introduction to Fugee with my manager (who was in Poland)

Yvonne Wallbank
Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
Virtual Global Short Programs – Malaysian Internships
Virtual Global Short Programs Scholarship Recipient