My name is Laura Mc Andrew. I’m 23-years-old and from Co Mayo.

I’ve always had an interest in international news and affairs and went on to study Journalism and New Media at the University of Limerick.

I opted to do my Erasmus in Denmark where I studied World Politics, Reporting from Areas of Risk and Multimedia. It was in Denmark where my interest in humanitarian crises was picked through the study of the Rwandan Genocide. Having worked in traditional news outlets and never fully being satisfied, I decided that I wanted to branch out into a different direction and pursue communications within the non-governmental sector. I undertook my thesis on the migration crisis and then went on to do a ten month press and communications internship with Médecins Sans Frontières in Dublin.

From there, I wanted to gain some field experience and having looked into many organisations – Wells for Zoë seemed to fit for the hands-on approach they take across water and sanitation, education and sustainable farming. I’ll be based in Mzuzu, in the northern region of Malawi up until Christmas.