Finally all my hard work searching for collaborators paid off, and I am pleased to make a big announcement:

My thesis will be a real project developed for the UNITED NATIONS!

I got an internship position at the International Training Centre of the International Labour Organization (ITC-ILO), and I already started last week.

So, what is the ITC-ILO?
The ILO is the oldest UN agency, working towards the goal of decent work for all. The unique tripartite structure of the ILO gives an equal voice to workers, employers and governments to ensure that the views of the social partners are closely reflected in labour standards and in shaping policies and programmes. In 1965 the ILO realised there was a need to train people on how to put its values into practice in a real world context, and so it created the International Training Centre in Turin, Italy as its vocational training institute, the only one of its kind in the world. With 14,000 participants each year from 192 countries, around half of the Centre's work takes place at its large Turin campus, while courses are also held in developing regions. 

20 Jan 2011 // Families in the Philippines uprooted by disaster have begun receiving text messages which they can cash like checks to buy food. The pilot project makes use of the widespread availability of mobile phones in the Philippines, which is known as the “texting capital of the world”.

The Philippines is one of the most phone-savvy countries in the world, but it’s also prone to violent storms and conflict, which force people from their homes and threaten them with hunger.

In emergencies like these, WFP often helps by setting up “Cash for Work” projects that help uprooted communities get back on their feet. With the cash people earn as they work on rebuilding homes and communities, they can buy the food they need. 

Now, in the texting capital of the world, WFP is testing mobile phones as a way of distributing the cash.

“It’s like a digital wallet—almost like a bank account,” said WFP Country Director Stephen Anderson, who explained that giving participants cash in the place of food rations allows them to buy a wider variety of food in a way that favours the local economy.“Our survey shows that they are spending up to 70–80 per cent of the cash on food,” he added. “We think that’s a good thing.”

Link: http://www.wfp.org/stories/hope-arrives-text-families-philippines