Questions For: Max Seunik

“World-Class Intern”

Max Seunik is a sophomore from the University of North Carolina who is interning for IntraHealth International, an NGO based in Chapel Hill, NC, D.C, and Bamako, Mali. After a brief stint in D.C., Max moved to Bamako for the summer in order to implement part of the CapacityPlus Project, focused on increasing the capacity of the health workforce in developing countries. Max’s work focuses on the equality of women in public health, and he conducts all of his research and volunteer work in French. His sense of humor, level head, and genuine love of his volunteer work help him adapt to a country in which most cultural norms are quite different, to say the least!

Q: How did you get an internship

with the CapacityPlus project?

It was completely serendipitous. Ready to fly back home for vacation, I was waiting outside my gate in the airport near a group of professionally dressed people lamenting the lack of French speakers working in public health who could be accessed for an upcoming trip to Senegal.

When a friend from Quebec called, I opted for clearly enunciated French over English – after hanging up, one lady from the group asked me if I was student. When I explained that yes, I was, and I was currently searching for an internship in public health for the summer, she changed her seat to sit next to me on the plane and we ended up having a great conversation! I followed up by email, and landed this internship in Mali with CapacityPlus! She has since become an incredible resource and mentor to me.

Q: What do you do within your internship?

The CapacityPlus project works on increasing capacity in the health workforce. A large percentage of Mali’s health workforce is volunteer-based and female. These women are at risk of discriminatory legal practices that may limit their ability to work, decreasing the country’s health capacity. I’m looking at domestic labor laws and how they discriminate against females. Ultimately, I’m looking for evidence that each of these laws is in accordance with international protocol – ranging from agreements like CEDAW to ILO Conventions.

I create reports and briefs, assess grassroots efforts to inform women about their rights, and trying to take a look at how the relationship between Malian society and law. Specifically, I’m analyzing one of the three systems of law that exists in Mali. Of course this makes things pretty difficult when the different systems of law conflict – which takes precedence?

Ultimately, it’s great when Mali decides to ratify an international agreement – but the reality is that the majority of the country’s population doesn’t see any benefits and remains untouched by the law. I was recently in a remote village near Djenn