- Emmily Sjolander and Hanna Risen, MAG Lebanon interns
Hello everyone! This is the first post of our brilliant travel/internship blog!
Today marks two weeks since our arrival in Lebanon. The first weeks have mostly been about getting settled in the new flat, seeing old (and new) friends, and of course going through contracts and other formal details. Yesterday our contract was validated, so now it is with pride that we call ourselves MAG interns!
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Us! Emmily on the left, Hanna on the right. |
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Amongst the rugged terrain of the Chouf Mountains. |
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Back at MAG Lebanon HQ. |
We’re both extremely happy to be back in this wonderful country with its mad traffic and equally madly tasty food. At times we’re still greeted in the street with a ‘Welcome to Lebanon!’ and, even though by now we feel at home in the country, it still puts a smile on our faces. And we do feel welcomed back! Back to an adventure which among other things may include the clearance of a refugee camp. Not exactly an everyday job!
Mission accepted
On this ordinary Thursday, I (Hanna) am sitting in the office working on our first task while Emmily is on a quick trip to the Chouf Mountains to get some photos of the rugged terrain of the minefields up there, for our degree project.
Our first task involves updating a document used in what is, for an NGO like MAG, a never-ending quest for donors and funding. It’s a great first assignment, requiring gathering of data and an understanding for how the different sections of the organisation are connected.
At the moment, I’m sitting with the data officer Albert (with whom we share and office), who is responsible for all the maps and other Geographical Information Systems (GIS). We’re discussing the calculations of square metres cleared and statistics, and I really appreciate his patience with the millions of questions that I’m posing.
2 July 09
A difficult task
Life as an intern is beginning to quicken up; and quite rapidly judging from the speed of today. I (Hanna) even slurped down half a cup of Arabic coffee when the stress levels peaked. A delegation visited the office, but we were so absorbed in the work that we hardly noticed the camera flashes from the room next door.
This first task really has given us good insight to fundraising work. We’ve been talking to, and working with, a large portion of the office staff and are starting to understand how the different jobs and tasks are interconnected. It’s a learning experience in several ways, which so far has included everything from trying to help a colonel handle my Swedish laptop, to understanding the ideas behind leave days during Ramadan and prioritisation of CBU (which refers to Cluster Bomb Unit strikes) tasks.
Above all, we’ve learnt just how quickly everything can be turned around in a completely new direction, between one second and the next. That’s life in the Mine Action world, dear friends! But, we’re finding it exciting to wake up each morning not quite knowing what the day will bring. No two days are the same! And this even though – so far – we’ve only been doing office work.
8 July 09
Heartbreak, heroines, and heroes
A new assignment was handed to us and started yesterday: we are doing a case study for the MAG newsletter. So, we accompanied our Senior Community Liaison Officer, Ali, to the Chouf to visit with an elderly widow whose land was mined during the Lebanese civil war.
No details will be disclosed just yet, but it was a fascinating life story that we were told!
This means that right now, we’re writing and polishing the article plus photos, hoping it will make the next issue. Simultaneously, the fundraising work is (of course) still ongoing, and hopefully tomorrow we will be going through some new aspects of it. Can’t wait!
15 July 09
Latest news from Lebanon:
- Removing danger in the city of Nabatieh Since the July war of 2006 ended, MAG has cleared 9.8 million square metres of land in Lebanon, destroying around 21,000 remnants of conflict, clearing 294 dangerous areas, and assisting 450,000 people at risk from death or injury from remnants of conflict. (6 July 09)
- 'We want our country to become like Europe' By removing the cluster bomblets that were blocking access to agriculture and infrastructure, MAG has improved the economic potential of a community in southern Lebanon. (23 June 09)
Links:
- Donate to MAG online - more than 90 per cent of MAG's income is spent directly on clearance programmes
- Other ways to Get Involved - shop, run, walk, skydive, drink wine...
- Click on Tags for this page at the bottom for related articles
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