As a student at the “Van Hall Larenstein University” in the Netherlands, I had the opportunity to complete an internship abroad at the beginning of my second year of study. On the recommendation of a fellow student, I applied to Yayasan SHEEP Indonesia and until the end of my internship I was very satisfied with this decision. The 10-week internship was part of my ‘International Development Management’ degree programme. My main task in the organisation was to draw up a document on good governance. One of the three objectives of the organisation, which can be found in the ‘5year strategy plan’, is to be a good governance organisation. As an external person, I was asked to analyse the organisation in order to find out to what extent the organisation has already achieved its goal and what steps need to be taken.

To be able to prepare the document of a good governance organisation, I needed a lot of information in advance, which should give me a deeper insight into the work of the organisation. In order to obtain such information, I decided to create a list of questions, which I sent by email to the employees within the organisation. In this list, questions were asked in 8 different categories, ranging from communication, leadership and supervisor to innovation. There were also 8 additional open questions. I opted for this information gathering methodology as many of the questions asked were about the personal well-being and opinion of the employee. In addition to the questionnaires, I was able to gather personal opinions through one-on-one conversations with individual staff members, as well as through observations that I made in everyday life in the organisation, and through participation in projects and workshops.

The Document

The developed document begins in Chapter 1 with a definition as well as a checklist in connection with a good governance organisation. This checklist can also be used as a guideline, as can the subsequent table with the 8 basic principles of good governance. In the further course (Chapter 2), basic information about Yayasan SHEEP Indonesia is presented, which at the same time provides an insight into the work of the organisation. Chapter 3 is the largest and most important part of the document. It contains the analysis of the questionnaire I developed, as well as a summary of my personal experiences and impressions. All this information is summarised in the following chapter, compared with the 8 principles of a good governance organisation and illustrated in a SWOT analysis. The document concludes with recommendations and suggestions that the organisation can implement to come closer to its goal of becoming a good governance organisation.

My Experience

This internship gave me the opportunity to switch from theory to practice and to escape from the theoretical and often very monotonous university routine to immerse myself in the work of an NGO. During my time at SHEEP Indonesia, I spent most of my time in the organisation's head office. There I was able to expand my skills in the areas of communication, research and analysing data by conducting interviews and creating various questionnaires.

In addition to working in the organisation, I was able to gain further experience outside of it by taking part in various events and workshops. For example, I not only took part in a training course, but was also actively involved in its preparation. Firstly, I helped to gather the technical equipment, load the devices and check their functionality. This task gave me valuable insights into the various preparatory measures required for a successful training course.

By accompanying and supporting colleagues in the implementation of their projects, I was able to gain additional insights into the organisation's external work. Once I was even offered the opportunity to prepare a small presentation on the topic of women's rights in Germany, which I was able to give together with colleagues at one of the organisation's partner schools. I was really pleased about this invitation.

Working Atmosphere

One thing that must be emphasised is the positive and pleasant atmosphere in the organisation. On my very first day, I was greeted in a very friendly manner by all the staff and included. The positive atmosphere at the office definitely makes it easier to work and makes you feel very comfortable. You get the impression of being accepted into a big family.

Thank You

I would like to thank all the staff from the organisation once again for the great and exciting time I had at SHEEP Indonesia. Thank you for welcoming me so warmly and taking the time to support me with my project.

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