Bethany Bell

loading slideshow...

  • Bethany Bell 1

    Bethany at a donation site for flood victims in the Volta Region of Ghana

  • Bethany Bell 2

    Bethany at work in the Communications Office at the Ministry of Gender, Children, and Social Protection

  • Bethany Bell 3

    Bethany Bell and the Hon. Nana Oye Lithur, Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection

  • Bethany Bell 4

    On a visit to the Kente Weaving Village in the Ashanti Region of Ghana

MA Global Development Policy, Pardee School of Global Studies

Bethany Bell completed an internship with the Ministry of Gender, Children, and Social Protection in Ghana this summer. The Ministry, created by executive instrument in 2013, is responsible for several key human rights related areas including women’s rights, child protection, social interventions for the elderly and the poor, as well as supporting the rights of persons with disabilities.

Bethany’s internship entailed working in the Ministry’s Department of Communications. The position involved reviewing and compiling media reports, liaising with various media houses, drafting press releases and speeches, documenting the work of the Ministry and maintaining social media accounts. From this vantage point, Bethany was able to observe the day-to-day operations of the Ministry, including traveling with Minister Nana Oye Lithur and her media team and attending events including the national launching of a Child and Family Welfare Policy supported by UNICEF. As a GDP student earning her certificate in African Studies, this internship provided Bethany the opportunity to gain on-the-ground experience in Africa, witnessing first hand the interaction between government, civil society, and the citizens both are attempting to support.

Bethany set up her internship through Abroad Impact, a program that facilitates internships for students to have internships and cultural experiences in Ghana. Bethany has graciously offered to help put students in touch with the program’s director via email.