WORKING EXPERIENCE WITH NFTRC

Hi everyone, it has been 3weeks since i started my internship with National Food Technology Research Center under Public Relations Department in Kanye, Botswana. NFTRC generates food technologies that enhance economic diversification, food security and quality through sustained end user focused research and development technology. I believe to save us time it will be worth visiting their website http://www.naftec.org for more fascinating experience  My first day at work was great because i was met by smilling and welcoming faces and i am working in my home town where i grew up and did most of my studies.

For those of you who do not know about Botswana i would like to give a simple introduction, Botswana is a small landlocked country in Southern Africa which is surrounded by Zambia, Namibia, Angola, Zimbabwe and South Africa as neighbours. The country has a population of 1.7million people. It is rich in diamonds, and beef which are the country's main export. Setswana is the national language and English is used as the second language in all national and business proceedings. The country is also rich in natural resources and tourism industry attracts millions of visitors every year, places like Okavango delta, Chobe, Ghanzi, Central Kalahari game reserve and Motloutse River are some of the interesting areas where one can go and see wildlife such as elephants, antelopes, zebra, and many other fascinating creatures. There are four seasons namely Summer, Winter, Autumn and Spring, therefore the climate in Botswana is semi arid, most rains come in Summer, while winters are dry and cold.

Now back to my internship, my first task was to analyse the findings of the communication survey which was carried out in National Food Technology Research Center(NFTRC). I had to go through all the questionaires and record down all the responses, calculate the findings and present them in a table format to the management. I also had to interprete the findings and recommend for ideas to be used in the communication strategy document which shall be implemented soon. I  had wonderful experience with learning new terms used in the scientific world and food industry as the company deals with food processing technologies.

My boss Ms Thatayaone Kepaletswe is always motivating and supportive with my work, i was later taken on a tour around the NFTRC buildings where i got to see the labs where they test and cook different foods, it is there also where i met my past high school mates who were working on the food research. I now felt at home. I think it is fun so far working on my own office and being given the opportunity to play a role in development of such a huge and developed research organisation.

I wish you all great experiences on your internships out there.