At the end of the summer vacation, the first interns of the "TaiwanICDF Youth Overseas Technical Assistance Internship Program" of the International Cooperation and Development Fund (TaiwanICDF) packed their bags and left for their half-year internship overseas. Ten students from National Chengchi University, National Pingtung University of Science and Technology (NPUST) and National Chiayi University have completed their professional training and have departed for Eswatini, Belize, St. Vincent, St. Lucia, Paraguay, Kiribati, Fiji and Palau to join in the foreign technical cooperation work on August 12, 2019. Despite leaving their comfort zones and the convenient lifestyle in Taiwan, all interns were very curious and eager to experience life in the developing countries.

Different from the Taiwan Youth Overseas Service of the TaiwanICDF in the past, the internship program also accepts women's applications. This year, four female students – Hua-Cheng Soong and Tsun-Ya Chuang of NPUST, and Kai-Yun Lai and Chia-Li Chen of National Chiayi University – were admitted. They all said that in the past, only men could go abroad to contribute through Taiwan Youth Overseas Service. Now they get the chance to contribute by participating in TaiwanICDF Youth Overseas Technical Assistance Internship Program.

In order to allow interns to adapt to life abroad as soon as possible, the TaiwanICDF arranged training on topics such as project design, life skills and cultural awareness. Ting-Sheng Cheng from NPUST said that this training is quite practical. The one-week course is like a crash course in becoming independent, because they not only learn how to design and implement technical cooperation projects, but also how to repair common small appliances. Yu-Ming Yen, also from NPUST, admitted that he studied more seriously this week than when he was at school because he was afraid to miss any important information that would help his overseas internship.

In the future, interns will face many challenges in life and work. However, the six-month internship will provide them with the opportunity for limitless growth and help them discover their core values. They will become new members of Taiwan’s foreign assistance and work with our allied countries to achieve sustainable development.

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• Update: 2019/08/30
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