Iryna Bilous is the Deputy Chief of Party at USAID/ENGAGE Activity. Iryna was already an experienced specialist in the civil society development in Ukraine when she joined the Pact Ukraine team in 2009. Considering her major experience, it is safe to say that she is one of those who knows everything about Pact and even a little more.
In this interview, Iryna shared some interesting facts about Pact family and some of her personal insights, as well as talked about the values of the organization and the peculiarities of its development.
How did your Pact journey begin?
I joined Pact back in January 2009 as a Deputy Chief of Party at UNITER project. This was the first project implemented by Pact in Ukraine aimed to promote the development of civil society. I believe that this project appeared just at the right time when it was most needed and helpful. And especially important is that its` achievements were noted not only by donors, but also by civil society organizations, for which Pact has become a trendsetter and innovator. The most important evidence of UNITER`s success is the fact that it lasted for 8 years - in addition to the originally planned five years, it was extended for another three.
The USAID/ENGAGE Activity, which is currently being implemented by Pact, is a logical continuation of UNITER project. It absorbed UNITER`s best practices and built own unique approaches to civil society development in Ukraine.
It would be incorrect to claim that I understood all the peculiarities of Pact from the very beginning I joined the team. At first, I saw UNITER as a technical assistance project same to the organizations I had previously worked with. But later, the organization began to evolve, introducing new strategies and approaches to achieve the results we have now.
What makes Pact different from other similar organizations, including those where you have worked before?
To start with, it`s Pact`s values – interaction with civil society organizations as equal partners, innovation, trendsetting, and assistance to the public sector. These are precisely the values that Pact has always preached and practiced. And that is what distinguishes Pact from other donor organizations.
Another important feature of Pact is its active focus on developing a culture of integration and global involvement. For instance, when our Ukrainian office has joined the development of corporate culture, it was the first time when all employees were involved in this process. Everyone had the opportunity to participate in the development of organizational policies, share ideas, thoughts, wishes and vision. This opportunity is still open to everyone. What we achieved is the basis of corporate policy stipulating that employees are the heart of the organization.
Pact has always been providing its employees with the opportunity to improve their professional qualities. I am not saying that other organizations do not care about their employees, most of them obviously do. However, it was Pact where I first met the term community of practices. Community of practices is a unique opportunity to visit another international Pact office outside Ukraine, gain interesting experience from colleagues and learn some new tools. It is worth noting that almost all Pact offices are in Africa or Asia, so this is always a huge motivation for our staff. After all, it is not just development, training, meetings, but also an opportunity to learn about another culture and get acquainted with traditions. I was lucky to take this opportunity – I visited Ethiopia, Kenya, Mozambique, Cambodia, Thailand, Morocco. The last trip to Tanzania took place in February 2020 – right before the introduction of quarantine restrictions. These trips have always been open to all employees, regardless of their department or position. I hope that one day, hopefully soon, we will be able to continue this practice.
You interviewed almost every single person from UNITER and USAID/ENGAGE teams. What makes you think during the interview "this is one belongs to Pact"?
I am not only present at the interview, but also involved in the final decision, and it is an incredible responsibility. When it comes to selection of specific person, it is impossible to say that we have specific and clear criteria. In most cases, I have an inner feeling that one person is ours and the other is not. Talking of specific values, I personally appreciate the openness and honesty of the candidate. We always notice insincerity and attempts to deceive, and it always leaves an unpleasant feeling. On the other hand, the candidate may not have the experience we need, but is ready to work for the team, share our values, be interested in the project and be eager to join in achieving its goals. You can always sense such candidates and give them priority. After all, I am proud that the projects I have worked with have always stood out with extremely powerful and well-coordinated teams.
Of course, we made mistakes, but these cases are rather exceptions. I still remember my shortest interview. At that moment, Pact Ukraine rented a small office on Malopidvalna str. and there was one room right at the entrance, where we put all the visual materials about the project. It was Pride Month in Ukraine, so we hung a huge LGBT+ flag on the wall. So, when the candidate enters the room, she sees this flag first, stands in silence for a moment, and then she asks, "Do you support same-sex marriage?". A little shocked, I reply that we support the rights of all people, including LGBT+. Then the candidate thanks, says that it does not coincide with her beliefs, turns around and leaves. That was a great lesson, and I am even grateful to that person for the honesty. We realized that the office must always reflect what the organization does, its values and activities. Even if the candidate is too lazy to read the description of the project on our website, he/she will always see it in our office before the interview.
What unites Pact team, are there some special rituals?
We have always had our special rituals – daily plank breaks, constant kitchen tea talks, and some spontaneous events and celebrations. For example, we had this 50th style New Year at UNITER project (American, not Soviet). We have always had great Halloween parties – once our colleague spent 20 minutes making a bee costume out of a garbage bag, paper clips and scotch tape, and it looked very cool.
Unfortunately, the lockdown restrictions greatly affected these rituals, and we cannot repeat them online. We tried to do plank break and tea party online, but it did not work out well. Although we can still say that the COVID-19 restrictions organized our team.
How do you see the development of Pact globally and the Ukrainian office in particular?
It seems to me that Pact has got off to a good start globally. And this gives us hope that we as an organization will improve even more. I love that Pact promotes openness when discussing existing challenges. We are not afraid to talk about and discuss the existing problems, weaknesses that need to be improved. Everyone understands that transformation is in most cases a painful process, but it is always necessary.
I am extremely proud of the products we have managed to create, of the organizations we have helped to develop and become one of the leading CSOs in Ukraine. And I hope that in Ukrainian Pact office will continue its activities aimed at the development of civil society and together we will achieve even more remarkable results.