STEPHANIE RUMORE, 23, AUSTRALIA, WILDLIFE JUSTICE INTERNSHIP

Why did you apply to join LWT?: I’m in my final year of my Bachelor of Laws/ Bachelor of Communications and wanted to experience the practical side of legal work whilst also getting credit from my university. I am interested in conservation, NGO and legal advocacy work and have wanted to visit Africa for some time- so this internship seemed like the perfect opportunity for me! 

What did you work on? During my time as a legal intern at LWT I was given the opportunity to work on a diverse range of tasks. This included updating and refining their existing legal database, assisting with the collection of missing court documents, attending court monitoring at a variety of different locations and doing legal research for LWT’s upcoming report on Wildlife Crime Court Cases. I’ve also had the opportunity to present this work to the volunteers at the wildlife centre which was a great means of sharing what I’ve been up to over the past month and also meeting some new people. 

Highlights: Being given the opportunity to see so much of the country whilst working, through my involvement in court monitoring, was a huge bonus as I wouldn’t have practically had the time nor means to do this outside of work. I’ve really enjoyed working with and meeting people from such a diverse range of professional backgrounds and hearing about the work they do (and getting a little bit of collateral knowledge on wildlife and other projects of LWT). 

What would you say to anyone else who was considering coming out to Malawi?: If you’re even considering coming- definitely do it! If you’re hesitant about travelling in Africa, Lilongwe is a wonderful place to be. The people are incredibly friendly and you’ll have all the guidance you need to settle in. You’ll learn so much and have the most fantastic time working with LWT.