By Prem Sagar
It was a rainy, grey August day when my flight landed at Dulles International Airport. ‘Here we are’, I thought to myself. After a rigorous selection process spanning multiple months which entailed working out travel arrangements and resigning from my job, and I had finally arrived to start my new role as a fellow of the Atlas Corps—Emerging Global Leaders program for mid-career professionals. As I looked to the grey sky, I thought about how tough the experience had been just to get to this point; these twelve-months were going to be even more so, but I was up to the challenge.
With colleagues from Care International during the conference preparation
The Atlas Corps program is aimed at mid-career level professionals who are selected for a fellowship with a U.S. organization for the entire duration of the program. The exchange opportunity was what propelled me to apply for the program in the first place. I wanted the experience of working at an international non-governmental organization (NGO), and to enhance my technical and managerial skills. You can imagine my joy when I finally got the confirmation: I was going to be an Atlas Corp fellow!
My twelve-month journey at Care International in Washington, D.C. was a wonderful rollercoaster-ride. Care International ensured I had lots of hands-on experience opportunities. I assisted in organizing the Care National Conference; I learned how to write effective project and advocacy briefs, how to design communication and outreach strategies, and gained invaluable cultural exchange experience with fellows from 14 other countries. My fellowship also helped to expand my socio-political knowledge; for example, I had no idea that South Sudan spends around 5% of its GDP on education or that Nicaragua has a more empowered female population than most countries.
At the State Department representing Pakistan
The highlight of my exchange program was having the honor of being selected to speak as a representative of the Pakistani Atlas fellows at the U.S. State Department, where I talked about my passion of working for children’s rights and promoting education at all levels in Pakistan. My mentor, Milkah Kihunah, who had been my biggest supporter and critic throughout the fellowship, later asked me,
“Why don’t you start your own child rights organization?”
I thought intently about Kihunah’s question. I knew I had the passion, vision, technical and managerial skills, and above all the vision, yet I wondered why I was so focused on finding another job when I got back. I guess it was the fear. But Kihuna made sure that I overcame my fears and remained committed to my purpose. Through her mentorship and the experience in those twelve-months, I gained the confidence boost I needed to do what I had always wanted.
It has been over a month since I returned to Pakistan, and I have already registered my own child rights organization. I have even diligently started making my list of ‘to-dos’ so I stay organized. Now the next step is putting my vision and passion in to action, and I am ready to take that next step.
