SUMMER SCHOLARS BLOG: Khutso Segooa

As-Salaam Alaikum from Malé, Maldives!

I am finally in the country that is most fascinating to me, made mostly of water with about 1200 islands that form a chain of atolls that fashion the Maldives. No other country is designed this way. Having lived my life on a country that is on a visible continent on google maps and having compared that to what the Maldives looks like on the map, is a phenomenon!

I am passionate about sustainability and improving quality of life. Naturally, this is what drew me to applying for this internship with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). I look forward to learning more about the Maldives and its prominent blue economy.

For my internship, I will be joining the Economics Unit Team as a Junior Economist intern. My task is to conduct research and an analysis on UNDP’s flagship knowledge product, the Development Finance Assessment (DFA) for the Maldives. It is an extension of the United Nations global flagship initiative, the Integrated National Financing Framework (INFF), which helps design and implement a Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) financing framework (focusing on climate action) in the Maldives. These assessments are developed as tools that will help the government inform on — going policy and institutional reforms.

Furthermore, I will be assisting in establishing a government innovation policy lab. This is a project where the UNDP office is partnering with the Ministry of Economic Development to support the government in conducting data-driven policy making. I will assist on drafting a knowledge product on the labor markets. Pretty exciting work!

During the first week I took a walk through Malé. I discovered that there is one main road, Boduthakurufaanu Magu, that surrounds the city. When walking on it, you can literally circle the entire island. What was great about this is that the UNDP office was on this road and my accommodation was not too far off from this road. I found a lot of comfort in this; knowing that it is not easy to get lost on this island. So, I explored a little more and walked through the narrow roads and found plenty cafés that I cannot not wait to visit during my time here.

Also, do not let the small island deceive you. It offers so much. There are a variety of shops, restaurants, and beaches that merge with the man-made pools, sporting fields and much more. Malé, has everything!

By the way, guess who I bumped into on one of our office zoom meetings? Mackenzie Stoeltje, who is in my UNA-NYC summer scholars’ cohort. She is based at the UNDP office in Timor-Leste and is involved with their climate-resilient infrastructure projects.

UNDP Maldives and UNDP Timor-Leste work closely with each other on several projects. It was great bumping into a fellow cohort while working.

Here are some lunch adventures with my colleagues Shumin and Yujuan. We tried out a Sri Lankan restaurant and had some delicious kottu, which consists of shredded roti and a protein. I am quickly realizing that the locals have a high tolerance for spicy dishes. Surely now I am determined to increase my tolerance for spicy food.

Later that day, we celebrated my bosses’ birthday with an SDG cake. We are wholly committed to this cause!

I look forward to being a part of the UNDP office and learning more from my colleagues in the coming weeks. It is such a supportive and healthy environment to work in and be a part of!

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Motor Scooter Thrill

Watching how Maldivians fearlessly commute to and from work on motor scooters in the chaotically busy and narrow streets of Malé, I wondered what it felt like to be a passenger on the back of a scooter taxi, to and from work. It seems like this is pretty much the culture here to use motor scooters as the common mode of transport. Although there are a significant number of cars on the streets, motor scooters remain the most popular.

I must say that driving in the city is like an extreme sport. I can confidently say that all the motorists are advanced drivers. Firstly, to my surprise there are no traffic lights, still motorists are able to swiftly navigate through the busiest and cramped roads shared by vans, cars, scooter and pedestrians. Yet, the city experiences low accident rates. 

Anyway, today I was in for some fun! I finally got on the back of Ilma’s (my colleague) bike, to enjoy a scrumptious Maldivian brunch with other colleagues. What a treat! We had a Huni Roshi (disc) and Rihaakuru (fish paste) and Riha (tuna curry) and Barabo massuni (pumpkin tuna mixture). This was one of the heartiest meals I have ever had, I was full the entire day. 

An interesting part of the Maldivian food experience were the “mints” or “candy” you receive when given the bill. The “candy” was a sweet minty powder, with betel nut (also known as areca nut) or some cardamom, cinnamon, and clove. Pop them in your mouth and just like that you easily pick up a habit of chewing on them all day. At this is the moment I realized Maldivians have their own version of chewing gum. Talk about a culture shock! 

Hulhumalé, the “City of Hope”

Over a weekend I took a quick bus ride over to Hulhumalé from Malé. Hulhumalé, the “City of Hope,” is an artificial island built as an initiative to adapt to climate change. Hence why it is referred to as the City of Hope. A lot of sand was pumped up, thus raising the island to about two meters above sea level. Below (left) is an image of a bridge connecting the two land phases in Hulhumalé, it also serves as a lookout point, to enjoy sunrises and sunsets. At right: swinging chairs on a Hulhumalé beach.

Upper photo, left to right: Me, Lalla, Maji, Yujuan, Shumin, Vathanya 

I finally went to a resort. Maldives is one of the most sought out vacation destinations. Naturally tourism contributes a great deal to its economy. So, you can imagine how pricey resort life can be. Fortunately, the perks of being an expat, is that I got to pay local prices and enjoyed a great weekend on one of the beautiful local islands in Malé with colleagues. 

We enjoyed snorkeling, kayaking to a neighboring island and witnessed shark feeding. It was truly fascinating to see wildlife so up close, surrounding me and under me. 

By the way, everything there moves! What appears to be small rocks are crabs and what looked like empty washed up shells on the shore, still have Kermit crabs in them. Imagine the fright I got when I realized there still, was life in the shells. 

All really an unforgettable experience for a city girl. 

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Back in the office 

As a Junior Economist Intern I engaged in two projects, the Development Financial Assessment (DFA) and the Policy Lab. The DFA helps design and implement a Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) financing framework. In this project I analyzed the trends and effects of monetary policy and fiscal policy in the Maldives.

Economics Team: Shahudh (Head), Shumin, Maji, Me and Ilma (right to left) 

The second project is the Policy Lab, it focuses on the underlying trends in employment such as sector migration; studying emerging sectors while looking for opportunities to reskill people for these sectors; and analyzing the sectors that were resilient throughout the Covid-19 pandemic. All very important work! 

This internship experience furthered my critical thinking, analytical skills, writing skills and my knowledge on conducting financial analysis and assessments on a country – especially concerning fiscal and monetary policy. Moreover, I gained problem-solving skills while assisting in designing the policy lab.

My supervisor and the Economics team were incredibly helpful in easing me through the learning curve, and I could not be as confident as I am today if not for them. My internship experience will guide me in my future endeavors and make me a stronger candidate for roles in the field of international and development economics.

Thank you, UNDP Maldives, for allowing me a part of the important work you do, daily. As an African, this internship has equipped me with what I need to achieve, what currently drives me, being an agent of change for current and future generations on my continent. I would also like to say thank you to Fordham University’s International Political Economy and Development program for priming me well for the international and development space. 

Finally, a big thank you to UNA-NYC, that has guided and supported me on this journey. This internship would not be possible if not for the Summer Scholars’ fellowship that connected me to my dream job. It was a summer for the books! 

Until next time, Dhanee!

SDGs on a wall in the city of Malé 

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Our Summer Scholars Blog, a collection of reports from post-grad scholars that UNA-NYC has sponsored globally, showcases our fellows' experiences with UN agencies and non-governmental organizations in the country where they are working. Learn more about our Summer Scholars fellowship program and fellows here.