I interned at the Asian Development Bank (ADB) in Manila from June 3 to August 23, 2019. I worked with the Knowledge Advisory and Services Centre (KASC) on improving and streamlining the knowledge focus of ADB’s technical assistance programs.
The internship was an excellent opportunity to familiarize myself with the work of a multilateral development organization. My team was a cross functional group tasked with engaging the entire organization in knowledge creation, storage and dissemination. With ADB’s focus shifting from merely providing capital to developing countries to being a partner for capacity building and human capital development, my team is set to play a crucial role in the organization.
My project involved developing guidelines for reviewing Knowledge and Support Technical Assistance (KSTA) programs, with the objective of developing a set of standards for knowledge activities across sectors. The guidelines I developed have since been adopted by the team and are used to reviews proposals. Other departments also expressed interest in the guidelines since they would help them streamline their knowledge activities and dissemination. I’m extremely grateful to my team for making me feel welcome and as much a part of ADB as anyone else. From the launch of an internal productivity tool to proposal meetings with external stakeholders, I was given the opportunity to participate in the whole range of functions my team was responsible for.
As a first time visitor to the Philippines, I was captivated not only by the impressively diverse landscape, but also the vivacious and friendly local population who are always happy to have a conversation and help hapless foreigners like me! The national spirit of remaining positive even while facing numerous adversities such as natural disasters permeates to the work environment at ADB where the focus is on resilient and accessible solutions to emerging issues. While mentioning the Philippines immediately conjures up images of sunny beaches and crystal clear seas, the country has so much more to offer. On weekends, I was able to visited historical sites such as Intramuros as well as Tagaytay, a volcanic crater lake near Manila. Manila also has a lively music culture with live performances and festivals almost every week. I thoroughly enjoyed my time at ADB and Manila and look forward to returning soon.
The internship has been very helpful in understanding the emerging development challenges in Asia and the tool being formulated to address these challenges to ensure a prosperous and sustainable future for Asia and the world. I will look to continue to contribute towards this goal in my career after graduation.
