Meet the 2010/2011 AMREF Canada Interns
AMREF Canada, in partnership with the Canadian Society for International Health (CSIH) and with funding from the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), is sending seven young, bright Canadians to work alongside and learn from AMREF's offices in Africa.
The interns will be writing reports and proposals, assisting with monitoring and evaluation, communications, research and donor relations.
Meet our interns!
Lindsay Miles-Pickup 
Hometown: Vancouver, British Columbia
Destination: Tanzania
After completing two BAs at Simon Fraser University, Lindsay worked as a Financial Advisor for a major bank all the while volunteering with local NGOs in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside. In need of a change, Lindsay moved to South Korea where she worked as an elementary school teacher in a low-income neighbourhood. In a desire to further her education, Lindsay then moved to Dublin, Ireland where she completed her Masters of Science in Development Studies.
Lindsay is delighted to be working with AMREF in Tanzania.
Megan Hewer
Hometown: Courtice, Ontario
Destination: Tanzania
Deeply passionate about global health and gender equity, Megan is excited to participate in AMREF’s initiative to build sustainable change. Megan studied Political Science at McMaster University with a focus on international relations. Her interest in development studies led her to continue her education in Humber College’s International Project Management Post Graduate Program. She has also completed a volunteer abroad program in Kenya, working as a community and outreach support worker, during the summer of 2007.
Megan is looking forward to joining the AMREF team in Tanzania!
Stephanie Irvine
Homwtown: Barrie, Ontario
Destination: Uganda
Stephanie’s interest for international health was solidified in 2008 while living in Mwanza, Tanzania. As part of her thesis, Stephanie evaluated the health impact of a probiotic yogurt microenterprise in a small community in which HIV is highly prevalent.
During this experience, Stephanie visited several rural communities, public health centres and regional tertiary care facilities which encouraged her to advocate for equitable access to health care and essential medicines and for prevention-based interventions.
Stephanie received an Honours Bachelor of Science degree in Nutritional Sciences from the University of Western Ontario in 2009 and completed a dietetic internship at the Hospital for Sick Children in 2010. In her spare time, Stephanie enjoys practicing yoga, biking, running, hiking, listening to live music and cooking.
You can read more about Stephanie's work and adventures on her blog: http://myreflectionsfromuganda.blogspot.com/.
Colin Kibjis
Hometown: Brampton, Ontario
Destination: Uganda
Just a couple of months removed from graduating from the post-graduate International Development program at Humber College in Toronto, Colin is excited to get his feet wet with his first taste of the development world with AMREF in Uganda.
Originally from Brampton, Colin attended Wilfrid Laurier University completing a BA in Political Science. It was here, after taking several international relations and development-related courses, where he discovered his passion.
Colin has spent time travelling in Europe, but this will be his first trip to Africa. He is eager to use the skills and tools he has acquired to support AMREF in Uganda.
Kate Giesbrecht 
Hometown: Winnipeg, Manitoba
Destination: Ethiopia
Kate is very excited to be working with AMREF in Ethiopia for the next 6 months. Kate studied linguistics and anthropology at Université Laval in Québec City. After her undergraduate degree, Kate received a post-graduate certificate in International Project Management at Toronto's Humber College.
Although an avid world traveler and volunteer, this is her first trip to Africa and her first professional experience abroad. She’s eager to learn from her new colleagues and keen to have the opportunity to apply her skills and experience to facilitate community-directed development.
Neil Lensink
Hometown: St. Catherines, Ontario
Destination: Ethiopia
Neil grew up in St. Catharines, Ontario. He studied philosophy, political science and international affairs. After graduating he worked with the Canadian Cancer Society and Environment Canada.
Neil was able to spend time in Eastern Europe and China during school, but is very excited to be traveling to Africa for the first time. Currently Neil is also learning web design, and would be happy to watch European football with you.
Nadira Saleh
Hometown: Waterloo, Ontario
Destination: Kenya
In 2007 Nadira travelled to India and saw the extreme poverty and the complex social and political situations affecting health.
This experience became a passion: upon completing her degree in Health Sciences at McMaster University, Nadira spent a summer working at the McLaughlin Rotman Centre for Global Health. There she joined the Water Efficient Maize for Africa team, a project which hopes to introduce drought-tolerant maize, royalty-free, to sub-Saharan Africa.
She is thrilled to have the opportunity to learn from an organization like
AMREF and is looking forward to working in Kenya.
Stay tuned for stories and photos from all of our interns!
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