GAISP (Green Accounting for Indian States Project) works in areas of education, health, and environmental investment, and aims to change the way people think about economics and the environment. The project is supported by the Green Indian States Trust (GIST), where Virginia was based, and is about calculating, adjusting, and then publishing the "money value" of education, health, and environmental investment that is currently not accounted for in our traditional system of GDP. GAISP needed to raise funds to cover the cost of two years of implementing the research and publication phase of this project, including stipends for environmental economics researchers, rental of office space and equipment, and publication costs.
Researcher
- Development of monographs (Ecological Services of Forests and Water Resources)
- Research and analysis
- Report writing and preparatory work
- Organising ecological conferences
My placement in India with the Green Indian States Trust (GIST) in New Delhi, was truly remarkable. It has led to a host of wonderful opportunities, a fantastic professional network and great friends. This first step has given me substantial work experience in a developing country which is an essential prerequisite for many international careers. Initially, I was posted as a research assistant with a small team based at Delhi University. We were working on a project to economically value the freshwater resources of India as part of a larger project to ‘green' India's GDP.
This working arrangement proved to be very useful and I was given plenty of responsibility. I was expected to work quite independently with a variable workload, and used the quieter periods as an opportunity to explore Delhi. I joined a local history group, which arranged weekly expeditions to temples and ruins. My favourite trip was a gastronomic walk around the old city where we were taken to amazing street vendors and small shops far from the usual tourist trail. I have never eaten such a wide range of incredible food. I also started having Hindi lessons which proved very useful for negotiating with rickshaw drivers and shopkeepers.
2way had arranged for GIST to provide me with accommodation in a hostel at the University. Occasionally I would be joined by other foreigners who were working at different university departments. We would often take day trips or weekends away from Delhi to explore which was always fantastic. I also joined the staff at the Institute for a few trips including to Agra and a white water rafting trip to Rishikesh. My fellow ‘inmates' (the term used for hostel residents) were very welcoming and included me in all the hostel activities such as helping to choose the menu, table-tennis matches and even the annual Faculty vs. Hostel cricket match.
Although my placement was initially for three months, I was invited to continue working for GIST and given new responsibilities such as working with the local media and helping with the arrangement of events to launch the reports that we were writing. I was also given the opportunity to work for a few weeks at GIST's Chennai office on a project valuing biodiversity. By this point I was working as a language editor and helping to proofread reports before final publication. I was also updating the website with news and the findings
from the various reports being released. The experience in Chennai was excellent as Tamil Nadu is very different from Delhi. I almost felt as if I had been sent to a new country! The staff were very helpful though and ensured that my stay was comfortable and safe.
After six months, I was offered a new opportunity to help with a large international conference based in New Delhi. The subject was ‘Ecological Sustainability and Human-Wellbeing'. GIST were to appear at the conference and so they were very happy for me to be part of the organising team. Managing 700 delegates and the logistics of a four-day event was hard work. However the conference (held by the International Society for Ecological Economics alongside the Indian Society for Ecological Economics) was the most wonderful opportunity to make contacts and friends. I was exposed to so many new people and ideas and whilst at times it was difficult, I couldn't imagine not being a part of this event.
Living in New Delhi is rather strange for a young ex-pat. During the days, I worked in the north of the city, but on the weekends, I would often meet with other young international workers and a large group of Delhiites in the south of the city. We enjoyed quite a hectic social life. It was a lifestyle of extremes but I made a number of close bonds with this group and I am still in touch with many of them. I also went travelling with some of this group and have seen a fair chunk of the country including Sikkim, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Kerala, Himachal Pradesh and Rajasthan to name only a few states!
After 18 months, I returned to the UK to study for an MSc in Water Science, Policy and Management at the University of Oxford. My experience with 2Way Development and GIST helped me secure my place and has given me plenty of discussion material. This summer I will be returning to India to both complete my dissertation and also catch up with a number of my Indian friends.
I would certainly recommend taking a placement with 2way as I found the service to be friendly and flexible. If I was to give any advice, it would be to grab any opportunity with both hands. If you had asked me in the first weeks of my project if I would stay for 18 months, the answer would certainly have been no... but I'm so glad I stayed. It has changed my outlook on life, my career path and has given me the opportunity for great friendship.