Elinor ZE Brett, M.A. Food Studies
Un Development Programme, NUPRP Headquarters, Bangladesh
The National Urban Poverty Reduction Programme (NUPRP) is a large-scale United Nations Development Programme project that aims to ensure that rapid urbanization in Bangladesh is inclusive and results in better livelihoods and living conditions for poor urban residents. My internship with NUPRP involved assisting senior members of staff in project tasks, contributing to a report about livelihoods interventions and authoring a paper about the importance of food security as an aspect of poverty reduction. I also accompanied international consultants on fieldtrips and sat in on meetings with donors, NGOs and municipal leaders. The internship was a valuable learning experience in which I was able to witness first-hand how large-scale development programs are conceived and organized. Dhaka was a challenging environment to work in, but it was highly rewarding to apply so many of the skills and concepts learned during the MA in Food Studies to real life project tasks, and to have the opportunity to engage with my colleagues and the communities with whom they work.
Meeting with community development committee, Korail settlement, Dhaka