About Us
Tufts International Development is a student-led organization that immerses students in the practice of sustainable development around the world. Students create and develop development-focused projects with the assistance of non-profit partners, and work on teams to implement these programs. Throughout the year students work on these projects remotely, and in the summer students travel to their project location to conduct on-the-ground work. This work includes (but is not limited to): program development; fundraising; grants; research; and, monitoring and evaluation.
Tufts International Development members currently work on one of three projects. The first is a project in Ecuador, implemented in partnership with Libraries Without Borders and Avanti, to bring e-learning tools to earthquake-affected communities. The second is a project in a Honduras, implemented in partnership with Action for Education, which aims to open a nursing school in a rural area of the country. This school will create higher education opportunities in an area which previously had none, and strengthen the healthcare system in the region. The third team conducts its work in India, and is currently phasing out of a partnership with Payir while working to create a new project.
Participation in Tufts International Development provides students with invaluable skills for working in the field of international development while giving them the opportunity to further the goals of our partner organizations. We work hard to ensure the ethics of our work. Specifically, our projects focus on solutions to issues that have been identified by the community in which we work. We work closely with local leaders, and ensure that each project is community-driven every step of the way.
History of TID/BUILD Latin America
For its first six years (2002-2008), TID (at the time, BUILD) participants spent a semester learning about international development, cross-cultural exchange, and the history and politics of Nicaragua before spending their winter break working in the field with the community. In 2008, the group shifted its work from Nicaragua to a project in Santa Anita, Guatemala that focused on income generation, sustainable agriculture, computer learning, and eco-tourism. Our work in Guatemala culminated in a viable fair-trade social enterprise selling coffee that can be read about at the IGL Archives here. In 2013, we returned to Nicaragua, this time following an internship structure, giving students the opportunity to coordinate their academic interests and capabilities with the various projects implemented by our various NGO partners in the Matagalpa-Jinotega region of Nicaragua. In 2014, we shifted its focus to include all of Latin America. During the year, students enhanced their understanding of development in the region by hosting discussions and inviting speakers, and in the summer students interned with a variety of organizations in Latin America. Beginning in 2015, the group adopted a new model in which members serve as student consultants, working remotely with development organizations in Latin America. In 2017, we changed our name from BUILD Latin America to Tufts International Development, in an effort to both elucidate the focus of our work as well as be inclusive and supportive of all development work.
Our Members
There is no standard profile of a TID student. We integrate undergraduates from diverse majors within the liberal arts and other schools, combining methodologies and analytical approaches from engineering, anthropological, political, economic, literary, cultural and medical perspectives. Regardless of career path, all TID students are motivated to learn through practice in sustainable development, understand that their work is high stakes, and prepare themselves to use sensitive and innovative methods to effect sustainable growth in the developing world.
To get involved with Tufts International Development, contact one of our group leaders, come to an early-semester general interest meeting, or email us at [email protected].
Tufts International Development is a student-led organization that immerses students in the practice of sustainable development around the world. Students create and develop development-focused projects with the assistance of non-profit partners, and work on teams to implement these programs. Throughout the year students work on these projects remotely, and in the summer students travel to their project location to conduct on-the-ground work. This work includes (but is not limited to): program development; fundraising; grants; research; and, monitoring and evaluation.
Tufts International Development members currently work on one of three projects. The first is a project in Ecuador, implemented in partnership with Libraries Without Borders and Avanti, to bring e-learning tools to earthquake-affected communities. The second is a project in a Honduras, implemented in partnership with Action for Education, which aims to open a nursing school in a rural area of the country. This school will create higher education opportunities in an area which previously had none, and strengthen the healthcare system in the region. The third team conducts its work in India, and is currently phasing out of a partnership with Payir while working to create a new project.
Participation in Tufts International Development provides students with invaluable skills for working in the field of international development while giving them the opportunity to further the goals of our partner organizations. We work hard to ensure the ethics of our work. Specifically, our projects focus on solutions to issues that have been identified by the community in which we work. We work closely with local leaders, and ensure that each project is community-driven every step of the way.
History of TID/BUILD Latin America
For its first six years (2002-2008), TID (at the time, BUILD) participants spent a semester learning about international development, cross-cultural exchange, and the history and politics of Nicaragua before spending their winter break working in the field with the community. In 2008, the group shifted its work from Nicaragua to a project in Santa Anita, Guatemala that focused on income generation, sustainable agriculture, computer learning, and eco-tourism. Our work in Guatemala culminated in a viable fair-trade social enterprise selling coffee that can be read about at the IGL Archives here. In 2013, we returned to Nicaragua, this time following an internship structure, giving students the opportunity to coordinate their academic interests and capabilities with the various projects implemented by our various NGO partners in the Matagalpa-Jinotega region of Nicaragua. In 2014, we shifted its focus to include all of Latin America. During the year, students enhanced their understanding of development in the region by hosting discussions and inviting speakers, and in the summer students interned with a variety of organizations in Latin America. Beginning in 2015, the group adopted a new model in which members serve as student consultants, working remotely with development organizations in Latin America. In 2017, we changed our name from BUILD Latin America to Tufts International Development, in an effort to both elucidate the focus of our work as well as be inclusive and supportive of all development work.
Our Members
There is no standard profile of a TID student. We integrate undergraduates from diverse majors within the liberal arts and other schools, combining methodologies and analytical approaches from engineering, anthropological, political, economic, literary, cultural and medical perspectives. Regardless of career path, all TID students are motivated to learn through practice in sustainable development, understand that their work is high stakes, and prepare themselves to use sensitive and innovative methods to effect sustainable growth in the developing world.
To get involved with Tufts International Development, contact one of our group leaders, come to an early-semester general interest meeting, or email us at [email protected].