"We were never in any imminent danger, but there was always this question mark, a feeling that something big could happen," reports second-year MBA student Daniella Ballou, who spent last summer in Liberia as an intern with the International Rescue Committee (IRC). "It was a pretty unstable environment."

A joint-degree candidate working on her MBA at HBS and her master's in public administration at the Kennedy School of Government, Ballou spent eight weeks in the West African nation, helping local communities rebuild their education system in the wake of a devastating, seven-year civil war. "I wanted to work in international development," says Ballou, whose fellowship through the HBS Initiative on Social Enterprise supplemented her summer income. "I also had a wonderful opportunity at the World Bank, but the IRC gave me a chance to work directly with refugees. For me, it was a powerful and valuable experience to be right there."

But being "right there" last summer meant being in a region rife with political and social unrest. It is widely believed that Liberian president Charles Taylor has been supporting Revolutionary United Front (RUF) rebels in neighboring Sierra Leone and receiving illegally mined diamonds in exchange. RUF rebels took U.N. peacekeepers hostage in Sierra Leone, and the United States threatened to impose sanctions over Taylor's relationship with the RUF. Meanwhile, Liberia's northern border was penetrated by anti-Taylor rebel forces.

Against this backdrop, Ballou worked on the front lines with local parent-teacher associations in Liberian villages to raise funds for textbooks and teacher salaries. The experience provided ample insight into "the huge problems that nonprofits have in getting projects implemented properly," Ballou remarks. "In the field, there is a critical need in project management for people with strong business skills."

Ballou's work in Liberia also gave her a clearer sense of the role of business in shaping local political and social structures. In particular, insights from the Leadership, Values, and Decision Making course she took last year helped her to identify ethical issues involved in the struggle to control the diamond industry in Sierra Leone, where diamonds have fueled a brutal civil war for the past decade.

"The Diamond High Council placed a ban on stones from Sierra Leone," Ballou explains. "The industry realized that its activities had contributed to unnecessary death and destruction. I saw firsthand the role and power of business and the positive and negative impact it can have on people's lives."

Ballou ultimately wants to work in nonprofit international development but only after gaining more business experience in the private sector. "Some people may not think there are many connections between business and nonprofits, but there are," she states. "Understanding and having credibility in both fields will be a tremendous asset. It can only make me a more effective manager."

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