My name is Polina Tikhonova, and I studied International Cooperation and Development at Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore in Milan. During my Master’s program, I had the opportunity to do my internship with the E4Impact Foundation in Uganda. Looking back on that experience, I realize it became a turning point in my career objectives. Let me tell you why.
As part of my specialized Master’s degree, I was required to complete an internship. The choice was difficult—international cooperation and development can take many forms, and at that time, I still didn’t know what I wanted to do. Having Frank Cinque as one of my professors and having heard about the projects implemented by E4Impact, I decided to give it a shot. And so began my three-month internship in Uganda.
To be honest, at first, it was hard: a new country, a new continent, a new culture, and new people. I didn’t know what to expect and felt a bit scared and nervous. But the people around me were extremely kind, and I quickly adapted to my new life.
The very next day after my arrival in Kampala, I began working. It was a busy period, as we had three projects running simultaneously: the Innovators Sprint Up Programme (Dskills), incubation/acceleration of pig entrepreneurs, and the Energy Enterprise Coach Programme (EEC).
I became mostly involved with Dskills, a regional initiative aimed at enhancing the digital skills of youth across East Africa, led by GIZ and IUCEA, with E4Impact as part of the implementing consortium. I was there for the entire duration of the project—from the very first bootcamp to the final pitches and graduation. I fully supported the entrepreneurs throughout their training and formed meaningful connections with them and the coaches.
Under the guidance of the country manager, Loise Kamau, I performed various tasks, from financial accountability to social media management. But what I enjoyed most were the responsibilities directly related to the projects: writing reports, managing databases, preparing bootcamps, and going on field visits. The feeling of being involved in important and impactful work was incredibly rewarding. Meeting passionate people, witnessing their efforts firsthand, and hearing the challenges they face gave me a new perspective on the projects we were implementing.
But my internship wasn’t all work—I had plenty of time to explore the country and culture. I never expected to find such a beautiful country full of surprises. Every day brought something new; I learned a lot by observing small daily habits, talking to locals, and traveling across the country. This experience was invaluable.
My internship in Uganda made me realize that I want to build my career in this field. Traveling from one entrepreneur to another, working on projects, preparing reports, and analysing impact gave me a deep sense of belonging. I truly felt it is my calling—next time, I would like to go not as an intern, but as part of a team of professionals implementing my own project.
Polina Tikhonova