Read our students' stories that start from the CUHK and go further beyond.

Regarding this overseas internship, I found it an extraordinarily rewarding experience. By serving as an international university volunteer in the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Jakarta, Indonesia, I joined the unit of community-based protection and provided backup for community outreach (youth).

Community outreach is a new pathway in my host that aims to extend our assistance to the PoC (Persons of Concern), by directly launching more activities like workshops and site visits, to understand more about the PoC, as well as for the PoC to approach us with their feedback and need which aims to be addressed.

The most valuable experience would be the interaction between me, on behalf of a staff member from the UNHCR Indonesia, and the participants in the activities we launched, in which the PoCs are either the one who holds refugee status or being as asylum seeker in Indonesia. Upon the International Youth Day, we launched an in-person workshop discussion for the young refugees to discuss and to exchange their ideas, by reflecting on themselves and the world. I was inspired by their sharing that they claimed they gained valuable time during the workshop and were happy to see other participants, and they also felt empowered through the series of activities during the workshop. This made me realize I was making an impact for them, which is positive, and meaningful for them. This strengthened my passion and perseverance in working in this field of humanitarian affairs, by committing myself to empower those who are aspired to be inspired.
 
In general, there were no difficulties regarding my job or in my workplace. But to be honest, the housing issue is always the most difficult issue that we must address when we are going to stay in the place for a long period of time. What I suggest is to seek more advice from the locals, as well as try harder to explore different possibilities, but also it is important to keep patient!

Overall, this is a life-changing experience for me to be working in the UN.