LSE takes part in the Tata Social Internship scheme where undergraduate and postgraduate students from LSE spend two months in India undertaking a social internship project with a development, social enterprise, environmental, sustainability or CSR focus. Each year some of the interns write short essays reflecting on their cultural experiences of India.

Here’s an essay written by Chau Nguyen, a BSc Geography with Economics student:

India is an invasion on all your senses. That was my first impression driving from the airport. There are people everywhere that you wonder how a city can house so many people. It feels like I have stepped into a world of chaos where everything is moving in all directions all at once and the best you can do is try to find your own way. There are noises colliding with smells wafting through the dust, your senses all warped into one. No place is like India. No place in India is alike.

One of the hardest things about the field is the excruciatingly obvious gender inequality that exists within communities. The hard part was not that people don’t see what was wrong with it but that it is not your place to step in and dictate how changes should be made. It’s a dynamic that has been established for generations, engraved in people’s minds. It is part of the social fabric and community dynamics. Society only changes when the environment around them changes. Development is about getting to the root of everything.

I talked to a woman who used to walk 2km a day for water and she could only bring two buckets back. She lobbied the village to get people to contribute money into a scheme from the government to bring water to the village. Although she was met with resistance, she even guaranteed them they’d have their money back if it didn’t work. When the project became successful it raised the profile of these women in the group. They had gained trust and she was able to participate in the decision-making process in the village.

It amazes me how much these women have done. They were the ones portrayed as powerless, the weaker sex, yet against all odds, they were able to make something happen. They changed their lives and in the process, everyone around them. Their gained confidence in themselves and it is contagious. They want the feeling to spread and grow. They took charge of their own development and never looked back. How many can say they’ve achieved that? They are amazingly empowered people that don’t need to be guided like children.

In spite of all the inequalities, stories like this cement my desire to pursue a career in development. It is about changing the mind-set of people, both those who “help” and those who “need helping”.

You can read all the LSE intern essays online and vote for your favourite on the Tata Social Internship website.

If you are interested in taking part in the scheme in future, applications will open again towards the end of the year. There is further information on the scheme available on the LSE Careers website.