When I arrived in London, I was more than a little bit nervous about my internship. Before I had my Skype interview back in April, I did some research on the company and if I’m being quite honest I didn’t know what to think. However, since coming to London, I can say that my internship has exceeded all of my expectations.

I am currently working for a small non-profit called Adventure Ashram in Tooting, London. This firm is comprised of a team of 3 extremely talented women named Fritha, Margaret, and Sam. Respectively, they are the CEO, Finance Manager, and Project Manager, and I am currently working directly with all three of them. Adventure Ashram raises money for projects in India, including a school, orphanage, and a community located in the Himalayas. They’ve just celebrated their 10th year anniversary and raising 1 million pounds! For a company with only 3 main team members this is a huge accomplishment! My daily jobs are what you would usually expect in such a small office, including checking the mail and running errands, but I am also able to manage some accounts for the company. With the help of my finance manager, Sam, I am in charge of inputing their gift aids and donations into their database. I am extremely excited about this opportunity, since non-profit accounting is something that has always intrigued me.

The CEO of Adventure Ashram, Fritha, is also pursuing other projects. She has a crowdfunding campaign called Secret Projects, where she raises money for underprivileged women in India. Right now, we are in the second wave of this campaign which involves selling “Secret Sari’s”, a beach dress made from vintage Sari’s. I was fortunate enough to start work on the first weekend these dresses were being processed, and I got to see how Fritha works her magic. Today, we processed and packaged all of the preorders (over 500!), and sent them on their way! In regards to Secret Projects, my job is to help Fritha with her accounting system, which is more traditional than Adventure Ashram’s.

Although my internship isn’t at a worldwide company, it is one of my favorite parts about London. The people, the work I’m doing, are all making this trip unforgettable. Adventure Ashram may be small, but it is mighty, and I love it.

Until next time,

Payton