Internship at the Foundation for Tolerance International (FTI) 8 September 2010 - 28 February 2011 My work experience at FTI has provided me with an invaluable insight into the field of conflict resolution and enabled me to get to grips with the most current techniques applied in solving and preventing violent conflict.

My name is Karen Wykurz and I joined Foundation for Tolerance International (FTI) as an International Volunteer in August 2011. My university background is in languages (Russian, Italian and German) but I developed an interest in Central Asia and Kyrgyzstan in particular while studying the history of Chinese-Central Asian relations in Irkutsk, Siberia. I wanted to focus on border communities and was looking for internships with organisations working in this area. Through a Saferworld paper on their work in the Ferghana Valley I found out about FTI’s work in southern Kyrgyzstan and got in touch. Following an interview I was delighted to be offered an internship in their Osh Office.