Each summer members of GlobeMed at Middlebury participate in the Grassroots On-Site Work (GROW) internship. The GROW internship strengthens the relationships between students of the GlobeMed chapters and their grassroots health partners. Every year, several chapter members are selected to spend 4-8 weeks working with GHI in their Rwanda offices. The mutual learning that results strengthens the capacity of both sides. Back on campus, these students share their learning with their chapters, equipping them with the firsthand knowledge to be improved advocates for the following year. Since 2007, more than 150 students have interned on-site with GlobeMed partner organizations around the world. Last year (2012), Cat, Ellery and Gina made our first trip to Rwanda to meet Gardens for Health and execute our project. In 2010, Ben, Owen, Anna, Harriet, Emmy and Hannah participated in Middlebury’s first GROW trip, and traveled to Uganda to work with Africa 2000 Network (A2N), our previous partner NGO. In 2011, Sam, Phoebe, Ellen, Sarah and Rachel also participated in the GROW internship with A2N.
There are three main goals of the GROW internship:
1. To strengthen and expand the programs, resources, and knowledge of partner organizations to increase their capacity for impact.
2. To engage in mutual learning to strengthen all aspects of the partnership.
3. To evaluate progress and plan for the year ahead in order to support long-term stability of the partnership.