Lola Verkuil

My name is Lola, I’m 23 years old and I come from the Netherlands. I have been a research intern at SIHMA for five months, from October 2019 to March 2020. Before I came to SIHMA, I had just graduated with two master’s degrees in International Development and Anthropology. I decided that I wanted to gain some more hands-on experience in research – preferably abroad – before I would find a full-time job in the Netherlands. Since I had some experience with researching migration and I wanted to gain a different perspective on the matter, SIHMA was the perfect place for me to go.

The things that I have experienced and learned at SIHMA are very valuable to me. Not only did I gain professional experience within the NGO and research sector – in which I wish to further my career – but I also gained an interesting perspective on the phenomenon of migration. In Europe, there is a very specific narrative on migration, and it is a major topic of discussion and debate. I was intrigued to see how migration is dealt with on the African continent and am glad to have gained a ground-up perspective of the migrants’ experience. After having worked at SIHMA, I hope to continue the work to promote the rights and dignity of migrants and refugees all over the world.

Read full post on our Blog on the Move on this link:

http://sihma.org.za/Blog-on-the-move/lola-s-experience-as-sihma-s-intern

 

---