Why do we do what we do?

For me, the why behind what we do at CIVIC has become much clearer through my experience working with our team and local partners in Sudan.

Working in a conflict-affected context means that behind every workplan, activity, budget, or report, there are real people and communities living with the consequences of conflict every day. It is easy in our daily work to focus on deadlines, processes, and deliverables, but ultimately, those are only tools to help us achieve something much more human.

I believe we do what we do because civilians should not have to accept harm as a normal part of conflict, and because the people most affected by conflict should have a voice in the decisions that affect their safety and their lives.

One thing I have particularly learned through working with our local partners is that communities are not simply waiting for someone to protect them. They understand their context, they know the risks they face, and they often have their own ideas and solutions for making their communities safer. Sometimes what is needed is to create the space, provide the support, and help make sure those voices are heard.

Also I believe that behind everything we do are people who want to live safely, protect their families and communities, and have a say in their own future. If our work can help strengthen their voice and contribute, even in a small way, to making civilians safer, then that is a reason worth doing what we do.

Very excited to engage on this platform in engaging in this form of democratic participation in CIVIC's mission. I first heard of CIVIC around 2019 due to its advocacy in mitigating Civilian harm towards the US military when I was also first becoming aware of crypto-currency. I was struck by a quote by Marla, CIVIC's founder, explaining her goal: "We want to show the US that if we can do it as a small humanitarian organization, what they can do." I think that CIVIC employees are motivated by this hope that it can lead the way in showing governments that they CAN do better. Likewise, I think we as individuals can follow the example of Marla by both making our voices heard and supporting initiatives we care about like CIVIC in defending the rights of civilians. This initiative allows us to do both, I look forward to participating in this initiative.