Several weeks before our residency, Georgia's ambassador to the United States, David Bakradze, recommended that we should contact Ms. Ketevan Chachava, the founder of Sector 3—Hub for Development.
Sector 3 is a Georgian civil society organization created to foster dialogue about development solutions among Georgian leaders, researchers, and citizens. This organization has been a dream of several civil society leaders for a long time, and finally came to fruition six months ago. It attained legal status just last week.
Yesterday we visited Sector 3, where we spoke with experts on topics including human rights, security policy, human capital development, religious groups, climate, economics and business, conflict and integration, elections, internally displaced populations, youth, and ethnic minorities. Many of the civil society leaders we met, like Ketevan, were alumni of the Future Leaders Exchange Program, sponsored by the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.
We were blown away by the energy and passion of these leaders. In my career I’ve never met such a diverse group of leaders so eager to collaborate with each other for the benefit of their country. In my limited experience in other countries, including the United States, different civil society groups and sectors often work within their own silos, but not together.
Sector 3’s synergy is remarkable. Imagine an organization focused on security policy, purposefully working with other groups focused on ethnic minorities, democracy, climate change, religion, election reform, or business. These “silo breakers” appreciate that all sectors and organizations are more effective together than alone.
As someone who’s worked in the NGO sector for nearly 10 years, I’ve always wanted to see an organization with this silo-breaking mission. Why? Because even though our specific goals are different, we often face similar challenges. It was amazing to see people so passionate about the work of others.
Sector 3 was also incredibly gracious to our group. Each of the eleven MAGP students who came to the meeting found valuable interview opportunities, even though we are working on a wide range of different issues and topics. It was so nice to be in one place and talk to multiple civil society leaders.
The hospitality was also top notch—when we walked into their office space they treated us like we were rock stars, generously offering us food, drinks... and gifts! They gave us Sector 3 hoodies, shoelaces and coasters, Georgian wine, and an art book depicting the famous Pirosmani folktale!
Sector 3 gives me great hope for the future of Georgia. Although it is a small country facing serious development challenges, it is also rich with intelligent and passionate civil society leaders. Their initiatives deserve greater attention and generous international support.
-- Courtney R., Cohort 4