IMON International

This week I started my internship with IMON International, the largest and most successful microfinance bank in Tajikistan. IMON's key supporters are Mercy Corps, Oikocredit, Kiva, and others. The thing that I really liked about IMON and one of the main reasons why I chose to intern there was their financial education and entrepreneurship classes. Unlike other microfinance institutions, IMON conducts financial education workshops for women. At the end of the course, women design their own business plans and present their plans in order to get funding. If approved, the women receive small loans for a start-up business. While other microfinance institutions provide small loans for ongoing expenses, IMON was the first I'd seen that supported business entrepreneurs with microloans. IMON consistently scores top marks for financial assessment and social responsibility. The company cares about the financial soundness of the loans and the financial officers are careful to minimize loan risk and defaulting, but there is also a human element to the process which IMON recognizes and upholds. IMON means "belief" in Farsi. The name could not have been more fitting.

However, as an intern I quickly discovered that I actually do not like working in finance. I spent hours looking through expense reports and projections. I like what IMON is doing, but I can't stand sitting behind a desk in an office looking at excel sheet after excel sheet of numbers. So today I decided to work for the Women's Crisis Center, which is an organization under the umbrella of IMON. I asked where the center was, and I got a ride from some people at IMON. The crisis center is in the back of an alley, and I totally would have missed it. I walked in and started speaking Russian with some people. They weren't expecting me at all, and the director who speaks fluent English was out sick. So, I had two hours of Russian conversation practice! We had great conversations about the shelter, their projects, and the dreams they have for the future of the crisis center. The Women's Crisis Center is a shelter for women who suffer from domestic violence. It is run by an all-female staff who are extremely passionate and dedicate to female empowerment issues. There is a lawyer, psychologist, and occasional doctor who provide free, on-site assistance. The building houses twelve women and their babies for up to 14 days, but there have been some cases where women have stayed three months. I'm going to start interning there next week. The project is up to me, but I am thinking of working with women's health. I'm not sure if there is a program ongoing, but I'm sure there is always a way to get a program going (aut viam inveniam aut faciam -- either I will find a way or I will make one).

I had one of those rare life moments today. Today I felt I was exactly where I needed to be. I'm still apprehensive about my future. I have no idea what I want to do for the rest of my life, and I'm not sure if I will make any money doing something I love (which is a problem since I went to GW and have student loans...). Today, though, I made a decision to stop doing something I did not like and find something I was passionate about. The world is open and fresh, and I am the only one setting limitations to my happiness. Who knows where I will be in a few years, but at this moment, I know I am exactly where I need to be.