Minor Field Studies (MFS) is a scholarship programme for students at universities and university colleges financed and initiated by Sida. In brief, MFS means that you travel to a developing country, conduct field studies and collect material for an essay or a degree project. According to Alex Muigai Program Manager at Sida Partnership Forum, this is the great opportunities to work with global development issues such as sustainable development, infrastructure development and climate issues. So if you are interested in working in the development sector, MFS may be a good place to start. MFS is a scholarship programme that aims to connect your field of study to development issues.
Anambra is a state in south-eastern Nigeria. Its name is an anglicized version of the original ‘Oma Mbala’, the native name of the Anambra River. The Capital and the Seat of Government is Awka. Onitsha and Nnewi are the biggest commercial and industrial cities, respectively. I choose only two cities Awka and Onitsha because of my area field of study.
I desired experience in my field of study. My minor field study gave me the opportunity to apply principles of public health issues I learned within the classroom to real-world activity within my research work. It also gives me an in-depth analysis of what it is really like to work within my field of study in future. I learned that results don’t just come in ones, because I had to go over and over to these experiments many, many times. It’s a frustrating process at times, but the end result is so worthwhile. It is the great opportunity for me to see how my field works through from beginning to end. Even due, I encounter some limitations but actually I got data that showed what I wanted to see. Not as much an improvement I am hoping for, but enough that I could take the results to make this my master’s thesis.
Nothing only about my field study and I also learn about the culture and the environmental issues and how to deal with power cuts, insects, more and less good field surveys, sickness, joy and irritation. I was in shock that it was a totally different world. Everything works differently there, like people have a different perception of time.
My advice to people intent to do their field study is that, I believe by doing this MFS you can learn new skills, develop your professional interests, expand your personal network and gain valuable experience in research work. Furthermore, I want many students to take the opportunity to seek an MFS scholarship or other student exchange opportunity that will give them the chance to learn and write about global development issues. We only have one planet and the more people that learn about different countries, cultures and conditions for development, the more likely it is that development and innovation can take place.
I thank both SIDA and Malmo University for giving me this wonderful opportunity to conduct my research and experience my field of work in public health issues.