The Borgen Project

Internship location: Remote
Organization Type: Nonprofit
Policy Areas: International Policy/Foreign Affairs, International Development, Human Rights

The Borgen Project is a non-profit, non-partisan organization that acts as an influential ally for the world’s poor by making global poverty a priority of US foreign aid. The main focuses for our advocacy work include hunger/starvation, sanitation and access to clean water, food aid reform, and newborn, child, and mother survival. As a political affairs intern, I worked to advocate for legislation that reduces global poverty and improves living conditions for those in low-income countries. I first learned about global issues, the bills we want to see enacted, and governmental and policy processes. Then, I set about educating others on these same global issues and mobilizing them to communicate with their political leaders through calls and emails. This role involved lots of communication and awareness campaigns, which included meeting with state senators and representatives to discuss bills and ask for their support. I also worked on raising money and making presentations to groups within my community. This internship allowed me to explore and combine my passions for global health and health policy in a unique way and inspired me to think about ways I can incorporate health policy into public health work in my future career. I am grateful for the opportunity to advocate for communities struggling with poverty and make a difference. One of our bills, the Global Malnutrition and Prevention and Treatment Act, just passed out of the Senate Foreign Relations committee, making it one step closer to becoming a bill and improving malnutrition around the world.