The Interns' Last Day

July 24th marks the DC interns’ last day at WMI – a bittersweet day at the WMI headquarter. This year, our tasks differed slightly from the usual summer intern tasks. Per usual, we created Fact Books, annual data summaries demonstrating each loan hub’s performance; assisted in editing the Newsletter; and the Loan Program Coordinator Report. We gathered and analyzed data which we published creating a Fact Book for Buyobo,Uganda; Elweg, Uganda; Buputo, Uganda; AMSO, Tanzania; Shikhoko, Kenya;  Naibala, Keny; Ngarendare, Kenya; and Keveya, Kenya. Be sure to check out WMI’s 2014 progress; all Fact Books will be put up soon on the website under Loan Program Results. We also created new survey tables so that the borrower update process could be more efficient, meaning quicker survey transfer time from loan hubs to the headquarter, more efficient data analysis for future summer interns, and reduced stress for the surveyors and borrowers alike.

This summer, we also were given new tasks focusing on WMI’s online presence. Firstly, WMI underwent a social media campaign. Though we had a Twitter prior to the summer, we were lucky to have Carolyn, known tweet-master, take over our twitter account. She tweeted daily to update the Twittersphere about our accomplishments, starting new hashtags, as well as contributing to Twitter discussions regarding microfinance, African development and financial inclusion. She also initiated the new WMI Instagram: http://instagram.com/wmionline. With the help of fellow interns, Karynne and Rianna, they created a backlog of photos that will soon be put up on our Instagram so that donors and those interested can get a close look at the daily lives of WMI borrowers – with an added fun filter for effect, of course.

I worked with Michael and Jenna to revamp and update our website. We aimed to create a new WMI website that would be more polished yet still highly informative, keeping in line with our dedication to online transparency. We designed a new layout and updated website content to streamline the online WMI experience. We had created templates that we have sent to Matt, our trusted WMI web master, to guide him on how to redesign the website. Be sure to check out our new website soon!

The intern team also spent some time bonding and learning more about microfinance by attending the DC Microfinance Meet-Up on June 18th to hear a panel discuss social performance in microfinance.

During our last week, after getting a feel of WMI, microfinance and development, we also created some new posts for the blog, topics ranging from policy analysis, personal reflections, and acting as economic pundits tying our loan program results to African development.

One of the great things about working in a small home-grown non-profit is that there is no rigid bureaucracy to work under and thus the internship tasks are flexible. If you have an innovative idea and the initiative, most likely, Robyn, WMI’s founder will listen to the idea, give you feedback and allow you to go forward with her added changes. For example, as stated before, it was Carolyn’s idea to create an Instagram, Michael’s idea to add new graphs and ways of measuring longitudinal data in Fact Books and I had created the WMI logo to complement the website’s new look. Therefore, all our talents were used in the most efficient manner in a way that WMI can benefit – something both the interns appreciate and WMI can benefit from. We all have pitched ideas and were able to contribute much to the organization, whilst learning much from Robyn about the difficulties and rewards of running a non-profit from abroad, and the field of microfinance and economic development, and East African history.

We’ve all thoroughly enjoyed working with each other, even through all the computer melt downs and sass, and also indirectly getting to know all the admirable women involved in the loan hubs. We all wish WMI the best of luck and hope to contribute in other ways in the future!