Trinity College Dublin and University College Dublin

Phase 1: In-Country Induction of Students

The objective of this introductory phase of the program is to provide students with an understanding of the recent history of Rwanda and of particularly of its current cultural, environmental, health, political, and socioeconomic conditions. In this phase some of the development challenges faced in Rwanda are introduced.

Phase 2: Cross-Sectoral Training

The aim of cross-sectoral activities aim is to encourage students to adopt a holistic approach to working across traditional development sectors, such as energy, resource management, and health. Because of their interdisciplinary nature, cross-sectoral activities are perhaps best suited to partnership and group-oriented approaches. The objective of this phase of the program is to enable students to participate in work related to community development.
Phase 2 has two components—one focused on the Millennium Village Project (in this case, the Mayange village cluster), the other involving staff from Karisoke Research Centre, Musanze (Ruhengeri) and ORTPN (Rwanda National Parks).
In the first part of Phase 2, students shadow sector/project officers working in the MVP communities and provide support in their day-to-day activities. The exercise allows students to engage with development practitioners through interacting with communities in a supervised format. The MVP project-management team  exposes students to project planning and formulation, implementation, and short-term monitoring and evaluation as well as techniques for engaging the community and stakeholders.
In the second part of Phase 2, students are introduced to some of the development challenges around Volcanoes National Park in the north of Rwanda. They gain hands-on experience of participatory research techniques in villages around the boundary of Volcanoes National Park.

Phase 3: Placement in Partner Organizations and Secondary Data Collection

Placement of students in partner organizations occurs in two parts. Students have a one-week stay in the main headquarters of the partner organization before then moving to their field site, where they are based in communities. There they will have the opportunity to gain for hands-on experience through shadowing activities and to gather background information on their respective research projects.
For the two months at the core of the field placement, students collect data in the field relating to their dissertations. Here the students work closely with a member of staff, or technical supervisor, from the partner organization. The field staff are responsible for the day-to-day issues relating to the student’s work and well-being during their stay at the organization field site. Students will agree beforehand to a schedule for the monitoring of their progress by their field-coordination team and their dissertation supervisor.

Phase Four: Data Analysis, Presentation of Initial Findings, and Concluding Events

This week is dedicated largely to the presentation of initial findings through student-led seminars. A schedule of social events concludes the three-month-long clinical field-training program.