Patience Malaba has over six years of experience in transparency and accountability work, of which three years have been at the management level, monitoring and evaluating templates and utilizing computer packages. As a Program Officer for Habakkuk Trust, Malaba helps develop and improve the effective participation of citizens through developing the capacity of community members in local democracy, advocacy, and conflict management for effective service delivery. During her fellowship in the U.S., Malaba hopes to learn about the linkages between accountability and transparency and the cause for community development by fully understanding the concept of grassroots democracy, accountability, and volunteerism.

Upon returning to Zimbabwe, she intends to utilize what she learns as a CSP Fellow by increasing the roles and responsibilities of citizens, building momentum towards a substantial demand for local accountability through public budget tracking workshops.