As a commercial capital of one of the fastest growing economies, Mumbai is the destination for heavy urban migration and is one of the world's densest cities. Mumbai has a striking combination of wealth and poverty that has fostered a vibrant development sector. Varying from human rights and poverty reduction to health and the environment, this sector strives to improve Mumbai and its residents in a way the government cannot.
The development sector can always use bright interns to help ensure the success of their programs. Through this process, the interns will have exposure to some tough but rewarding projects in one of the most fascinating cities in the world. The internships offered will be in the following sectors:
Poverty Reduction and Human Rights
Mumbai's rapid growth over the past ten years, coupled with the unending migration into the city, has widened the gap between those who inhabit the lofty skyscrapers and those who live in the slums. Popular state-centric nationalism and the caste system have created divisions based on ethnicity, statehood, religion, and economics.
The inequality within Mumbai in many ways mimics that which is found throughout the country. Luckily, though, many NGOs and organizations exist to lift people out of poverty and to foster a sense of equity within Mumbai and elsewhere. They do this through vocational training, child's/women's/religious/ethnic rights advocacy, and policy influence.
Potential internship opportunities are with:
- Yuva Parivartan – This NGO believes that the best way to lift people out of poverty is by offering them vocational training and skill development, and so manages centers throughout the state with the goal of connecting people to jobs.
- Masoom – Masoom agrees with Yuva Parivartan, but takes a different approach to this financial empowerment by running a series of night schools so adults can work during the day and then improve their prospects in the evening.
- Child Rights and You – Probably considered the most effective child rights organization in India, CRY links individual angel investors to local communities in order to find sustainable solutions to the issues affecting children.
- Society for Nutrition, Education, and Health Action – SNEHA health, education, counseling, policy, sexual empowerment, employment, urban agriculture, and other techniques to uplift women in Dharavi, one of the largest slums in the world.
- Desta – This NGO helps to improve lives throughout rural Maharashtra by through a model that combines agriculture, livelihood, health, and education with the effect of equitable infusing income into villages.
Public Health
Whenever the population density of an urban center reaches levels as high as 4.5 persons per square meter, as it is in Mumbai, public health can become an immense concern. Monsoons exacerbate the spread of mosquito and water-borne diseases, and the stigma surrounding other illnesses such as HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis aid in perpetuating them.
Due to these issues, NGOs and foundations throughout Mumbai focus on building health, improving nutrition, and ensuring access to care both within the city and throughout the country. To truly understand the challenges the health sector faces in the developing world, Mumbai is a great place to come.
Potential internship opportunities are with:
- The Piramal Foundation – The Foundation leads the way in supporting health-focused entrepreneurship, empowering rural women to provide quality healthcare, and supplying clean drinking water to areas in need.
- The Indian Development Foundation – IDF tackles the illnesses most stigmatized in India – leprosy, HIV/AIDS, and tuberculosis – in order to decrease their spread and reduce their impacts on communities.
- The Anusandhan Trust – Unique amongst most NGOs, the Trust brings together top researchers from around the country to guide the government, other NGOs, and even the media about how to address health issues.
- The Wockhardt Foundation – Wockhardt works in many areas, from running an eye hospital to deworming villagers, from addressing congenital heart issues in children to spreading awareness of health issues, and more.
- Housing Development Finance Corporation CSR – This CSR works mainly in rural areas to support those who are mentally ill and to improve the sex ratio, mainly through family planning, prenatal care, and women's health assistance.
Education
A primary school education is the right of every child according to India's constitution. With this in mind, Mumbai arguably has more education initiatives than any other city in the country. NGOs adopt government schools in order to improve them, and education trusts constantly form to provide quality education in the poorest of areas.
Additionally, many Corporate Social Responsibility programs located here focus on providing strong primary and secondary school education in the city. Lastly, the city government itself has partnered with various NGOs to find solutions to some of the biggest problems within its school system. Therefore, Mumbai is a perfect place to gain field experience in the education sector.
Potential internship opportunities are with:
- The Akanksha Foundation – One of the most well-known education NGOs in India, Akanksha has set up numerous alternative schools to supplement and thus bolster the education of slum youth.
- Teach for India – Based on the Teach for America model, TFI provides 2-year teaching Fellowships for India's young leaders to help them improve the education of children from within the system.
- The Pratham Education Foundation – This organization is known for its many ventures aimed at the holistic improvement of education, from literacy programs and open schools to textbook publications and teacher development.
- Atma – This unique organization creates three-year partnerships with new education NGOs to provide them with help in a variety of areas, from governance and financial planning to evaluation and academics.
- The Kaivalya Education Foundation – KEF approaches education from the perspective of the school headmasters, using a Gandhian approach with them to facilitate more openness and innovation in how they run their schools.
Environment
Mumbai itself has a unique environment. Originally seven distinct islands, the British reclaimed land to form the peninsula that is now Mumbai. The 18 million+ people inhabiting this metropolitan center have negatively affected the environment in ways that often seem irreversible. The vast agriculture needed to support this population and that of the rest of the state contributes heavily to this environmental impact.
Many NGOs and foundations are tackling this worrying issue by trying to change mindsets and influence policy. They work with the government, with local bodies, and with businesses to plan sustainable action, improve reporting structures, advocate for new measures, and more.
Potential internship opportunities are with:
- Global Reporting Initiative – GRI, though an international agency, has the difficult responsibility of convincing businesses to report about their sustainability measures and environmental impact in a country where doing so is uncommon.
- Fresh & Local – Through projects like its Flyover Farm, this organization strives to educate Mumbaikars about and encourage the creation of urban farming, all in order to improve health and reduce environmental damage caused by large-scale agriculture.
- Conservation Action Trust – With a focus on the conservation of mangrove forests, CAT educates both policy-makers and the general public as to the importance of water security while supporting legal actions where needed.
- Tatva – One of the largest waste treatment companies in India is also one of its greenest, focusing on pioneering new processes that reduce carbon footprints and provide greater energy efficiency, while also encouraging companies and citizens to do the same.
- Wildlife Conservation Trust – The WCT employs a multi-pronged approach to forest conservation, mainly by training forest staff throughout India, educating those living near to forests, consulting other agencies about protection, and building awareness.
Medical
Pre-Medical students can easily find great opportunities in the public health sector above. However, for those students who want to prepare themselves more thoroughly for the world of medicine, Mumbai provides a fascinating place to do so.
Health care in Mumbai perfectly represents the economic divide in the city. High-end hospitals and clinics cater to the city's wealthiest residents and to foreigners coming to India for 'Medical Tourism.' Rundown government hospitals and clinics, often with very long lines, provide basic services to the vast majority of Mumbai's residents. In these hospitals and clinics, there is a constant battle between Western medicine and the ancient Indian practice of Ayurveda.
Potential internship opportunities are with:
- Private hospitals and clinics of all types and catering to varied groups of patients, such as Tata Memorial, Mumbai Clinic, Godrej, Apollo, SevenHills, Jaslok, Blue Shield, Hiranandani, and others, with foci on both the research and practice of medicine.
- Clinics such as Dr. Batras, Imperial Clinics, Life Force Homeopathy, Ayurveda Kendra, Ayurvedic Treatment Centre, and Ashwini Hospital, all focused on the application of homeopathic and ayurvedic treatments to remedy health issues.
- AmeriCares and Project Hero – Programs within these NGOs are lauded for providing quick emergency response services to those most in need, including in Mumbai's slums as well as those who are elderly, disabled, or invalid.
- Care, Bonanza, Amazon, MMT, and other providers of medical tourism to Mumbai, with treatments ranging from cancer and cosmetic surgery to infertility and dental surgery, and with facilities that offer services that go beyond just the medical procedures.
- Cancer Patients Aid Association, Barefoot Acupuncturists, Bombay Leprosy Project, Armman, and other NGOs that focus on connecting doctors, both Western and homeopathic, to those with specific or various ailments but cannot visit hospitals or clinics.
Law
Many people say that the British left behind two important legacies after it departed India: the trains and the legal system. Generally, the legal system in India reflects the British system, but with some Indian twists. Many laws that were put into place during the British Raj are still in effect despite the fact that India has changed dramatically over the past few hundred years.
Coming to Mumbai allows foreign Pre-Law students to experience this British-Indian hybrid law that, in many ways, still operates under a very archaic and often anachronistic system. Additionally, for students interested in human rights or environmental law, Mumbai provides stellar opportunities through some of India's most well known legal centers.
Potential internship opportunities are with:
- Reputed law firms such as ALMT and Luthra & Luthra that, in addition to criminal, civil, and corporate law, also work in the areas of human rights, women's and children's Rights, tribal rights, and environment.
- Human Rights Law Centre – A nationwide organization that provides pro-bono legal assistance, investigates and reports violations, advocates on behalf of the voiceless, publishes policy papers, and more for all areas in human rights.
- Indian People's Tribunal – This well-known organization is led by a group of judges, lawyers, advocates, and grassroots organizers to make legal decisions ranging from corporate crime and minorities (dalits, women, tribals, etc.) to environment and displacement.
- Majlis Legal Centre – Provides legal services to women and families while focusing on educating and empowering women on their legal rights; its most recent project strives to empower women who have been victims of rape.
- The Lawyer's Collective – This famous legal aid center feels like a law office and provides legal support in the areas of women's rights, domestic violence, drug policy, sexuality, HIV, and access to medicines