Strengthening Migration Governance in Nepal
1500 young people migrate from Nepal on a daily basis seeking employment totaling 6 million to 110 countries over the last 20 years. […]
Rapping to Be Repped in Liberia
By: Anne Sophie Ranjbar, Associate Director and Maima Caranda, Volunteer As you walk through Monrovia, you can’t miss the catchy West African beats that play on every street. While Nigeria has traditionally been the hub for music in the region, Liberia’s young “Hip Co” artists are rapidly building a following in the region and beyond. Music has the power to inspire and inform people—acting as a medium through which to channel popular sentiment and shape collective dreams. As Liberia faces its next presidential election—a critical opportunity to consolidate democracy and peace after a troubled past—music can also serve as a [...]
Seeing Students See Civics
By: Ilana Panth, Accountability Lab Intern Last summer, while visiting my family in Kathmandu, I was compelled to get involved with the community. I got in contact with a local organization funded by Accountability Lab, Sambhawana, which aims to provide meaningful civic education to young people in Nepal. After several discussions with the Sambhawana team, we decided that I would be able to make the most impact by teaching civics through debate, a subject I have been heavily involved with in my high school. Sambhawana gave me the freedom to design my own 3-day curriculum, which I created to be [...]
Building accountability in Pakistan’s healthcare sector
By: Maliha Khalid Kayani, accountapreneur in Pakistan During high school I suffered through a serious medical condition. My mother, the primary decision maker, also suffered from the experience. All she wanted was to choose the best doctor for her eldest daughter without compromising my privacy or the quality of the healthcare physician, but she didn’t know where to go, whether to consult a neurologist or a psychologist, etc. I did not want her to openly talk about my condition in the family, and so my mother went through this difficult process alone, without any resource or tools to help her [...]
Accountability Lab Ends “Rap to be Repped” Talent Hunt Competition with Live Music Concert Music
By:Gbatemah Senah. This article was originally published by The Bush Chicken. Hundreds of young people gathered at the Sports Commission on Friday to witness live performances of Liberia’s best young emerging new artists. Five finalists of “Rap to be Repped,” a nationwide musical talent hunt competition organized by the Accountability Lab, thrilled the crowd as they performed. Laurene Kolleh, the only female competitor among the finalists was announced the winner after receiving the highest points from votes by text messages and a three-member panel of judges. Onesimus Whoryonwon finished as first runner-up, followed by Alfred Flomo as second runner-up, while [...]
Accountability Lab Celebrated Open Data Day Mapping Migration in Nepal
This blog was originally published by the Open Knowledge International Blog and is part of the event report series on International Open Data Day 2017. On Saturday 4 March, groups from around the world organised over 300 events to celebrate, promote and spread the use of open data. 44 events received additional support through the Open Knowledge International mini-grants scheme, funded by SPARC, the Open Contracting Program of Hivos, Article 19, Hewlett Foundation and the UK Foreign & Commonwealth Office. This event was supported through the mini-grants scheme under the Human Rights theme. Saturday is a holiday across the country of [...]
Celebrating The Lab’s 5th Birthday With A New Strategy for Building Accountability
By: Blair Glencorse, Executive Director. Today, the Accountability Lab turns 5 years old. What better way to celebrate a birthday than to reflect on what we’ve done, think about what we’ve learned, and spell out where we’re going in a new strategy?! We’re proud of this new roadmap, which has grown out of a lot of hard work in West Africa and South Asia, hundreds of conversations with other organizations and individuals working in this space and significant field and desk research into accountability eco-systems to understand where we can add the most value. This refresh comes at an important [...]
Announcing the 2017/18 Accountability Incubator’s Cohort of “Accountapreneurs”
The Accountability Lab catalyzes a new generation of active citizens and responsible leaders around the world. Our core work is through the Accountability Incubator: a two-year program of support for the very best “accountapreneurs”. This year the application process was incredibly competitive; we had hundreds of applications across our three focus countries–Nepal, Liberia and Pakistan. We have selected 15 amazing young change-makers to join our Incubator and work with us to transform their societies through new and sustainable ideas for accountability. We've seen inspiring projects from past accountapreneurs, and this year we'll have a dynamic mix of first year and second [...]
Visible Impact in Kharanitar, Nepal
By: Medha Sharma, Accountability Lab Accountapreneur and President of Visible Impact Meet Rita Rita is 16 years old and black belt in Taekwondo. She discovered her passion for Taekwondo when she was 8 years old. Almost 2 years ago, an earthquake destroyed her village – Kharanitar of Nepal's Nuwakot district - and Rita and the other girls in her village had to give up their Taekwondo lessons. Since last year, Visible Impact has been working to unleash the social and economic leadership of 15 adolescent girls of her village, by providing them mentorship on a variety of topics, including academic support, support for co-curricular activities, [...]
Media Stakeholders Stress Accountability and Independence
By: Gbatemah Senah. This article was originally published by The Bush Chicken. At a recent discussion on the role of the media in society, several media stakeholders have stressed the need for accountability and independence within Liberia’s media industry. Serving as panelists was Lawrence Yealue, Country Representative of Accountability Lab Liberia; Jefferson Krua, founder of The Bush Chicken; and Zubin Cooper, founder of Omuahtee African Media. Lawrence Yealue II, Coordinator of Accountability Lab Liberia. Photo: Gbatemah Senah Yealue said in order to have an accountable media, practitioners must have the requisite training and capacity to drive their passion. According to him, training [...]