Joining Accountability Lab in the United States while enrolled as a South African master’s student has been extremely rewarding. The day I received my offer letter to be the Global Programs and Partnerships Fellow, I was elated yet nervous. Still a student at the Austin W. Marxe School of Public and International Affairs at Baruch College, moving to another new city in the fall of 2022 seemed like a big decision. But I was comforted by the idea of working in an organization that values integrity, collaboration, humility, and innovation. I was also happy to work with diverse and inclusive leadership, which supports my career objectives of serving a global community as an international scholar.

During my time at the Lab, I enjoyed the open-door policy and the dynamic, supportive staff complemented and nurtured that culture. In addition, working for the Lab at the Open Government Hub offices has given me networking access to global civil society individuals from different international nonprofit organizations and development aid agencies. The Lab’s operating model, which values local community voices in its programs, and the power-sharing business model between the global north and south drew me in even more. As cliche as it may sound, my time at the Lab was nothing short of the African proverb that “it takes a village to raise a child”! I was taken in by a global community and led each step of the way to be a well-rounded NGO professional.

I started my career in media broadcasting and being at the Lab has allowed me to diversify my skillset to programming, strategy, and development. Working with Sara Hoenes, the Lab’s Programs and Partnerships Manager, gave me a real taste of what it takes to manage programs that aim to combat complex global issues such as kleptocratic environments. This experience taught me to appreciate the meticulous nature of program operations and the attention to detail necessary for successful execution. I was captivated by the technological tools used to combat corruption, such as blockchain, which broadened my understanding of automation and digitization in the global fight against corruption. I also enjoyed the curricula development process of programs during the brainstorming sessions with the team. I learned much about the various stakeholders relevant to ensuring accountability and governance in anti-corruption systems. Other tasks included research on the civil society landscape in Belize, as the Lab is implementing the Accountability Incubator program there this year. I navigated complex systems in bureaucracies such as U.S. international development agencies and learned about the grant acquisition process.

One of my absolute favorite values about the Lab is its appreciation of collaboration, as it allows different stakeholders to use their strengths and build on others. During the fellowship, I coordinated a flagship event with my colleagues and a Berlin-based nonprofit organization, Accountable Now. This experience gave me a divergent perspective on the global standard of accountability, and it showed me that some of the metrics used to measure accountability might sometimes translate differently in different global regions. This was an anecdotal finding from some discussions during the session but a refreshing outlook on measuring accountability and governance.

Because I have diverse working experience, I was able to tap into other skill sets. Consequently, I was exposed to multiple divisions of the translocal network where input from staff in multi-levels guided me in completing different tasks. I assisted the Programing and Learning team administratively and the Growth and Operations team with the Summit for Democracy (S4D) agenda, which is central to the Lab’s work.

This fellowship gave me access to the Summit for Democracy touch points, such as the website, where I assisted in coordinating Democracy Cohort data, events communication, and input in the monthly newsletter. I attended panel discussions hosted by various stakeholders such as the Center for Strategic International Studies (CSIS), the Delegation of the European Union to the U.S., and other INGOs and policy institutes. Attending the International Anti-Corruption Conference (IACC) was especially rewarding because it allowed me to understand how critical governance and accountability are to solving global issues. It was an absolute treat to tag along with the Lab’s Country Directors from Mali and Nigeria for panel discussions around peace, security, and conflict resolution, and US-Africa Summit side events anchored in the Year of Action Agenda led by the U.S. government. Learning from regional leaders, who are experts on the geopolitical issues affecting the area, was an experience I greatly appreciated. The experience helped me understand the region’s nuances and contextualize some of my academic work on civilians in conflict areas.

When I started the Master of International Affairs program, my career goals were to assess the fundamental issues in governance currently facing international policymakers. Now, through the fellowship, I have a good sense of how to make strides in my journey centered around social justice through public policy.

Moving into this sector, I have realized Martin Luther King’s dictum where he said, “Make a career of humanity, commit yourself to the noble struggle for equal rights. You will make a better person of yourself, a greater nation of your country, and a finer world to live in.” Through this organization’s sense of community, I have come closer to achieving those goals. As many of us know, finding solutions to complex global issues has no linear or simplistic approach; the Lab’s operational and strategic structure has helped me see this imperative even more. During the fellowship, I had the opportunity to network and navigated the industry with the guidance of the Global team, who have multiple teaching inputs. My understanding of best practices of governance and accountability has been strengthened by the Lab’s programs, which mobilize community participation to shift norms and behaviors.

Overall, my time at the Lab has been remarkable, and the organization has equipped me with new skills and helped me enter the industry and impact the world in a meaningful way. In my capacity as an international affairs academic and non-profit practitioner, I believe we will cross paths again in the future and continue strengthening communities that help shape change agents like me. I am humbled by the experience and grateful for the opportunity.

Tirelo Makwela