Sara Wahedi (MPP 2024) sharpened her leadership skills and long-term policy perspective during the Master of Public Policy course. She is currently using these skills to develop AI-driven tools that increase access to justice around the world at the School’s new Institute for Technology and Justice.
When Sara Wahedi was living in Afghanistan, there was an explosion at a hospital where a close friend worked. With no way of knowing if they were ok, other than driving to a hospital and putting herself in danger, she had a “lightbulb moment”. “What if there was a technological solution that provided access to information about security?"
Determined to keep the community around her safe and more informed, she enlisted the help of one of Afghanistan’s biggest tech companies to create a free mobile app designed to provide real-time security alerts. Ehtesab, a name inspired by words meaning transparency and accountability in Dari and Pashto, had the principle of what she calls “epistemic justice” at its heart. She was determined to equip the community with the knowledge they needed to design and use it.
Sara built Ehtesab with a fully Afghan team where the average age was 23. It was a process that took three years and ended up being as much about public confidence than it was about code. Billboards, behavioural nudges, and street-level outreach complemented the digital product. “Access to information can be a powerful form of infrastructure”, she explains.
But Sara wanted to understand more than just how to build a civic tech product. She wanted to explore what it would take to scale solutions like Ehtesab responsibly and sustainably. That led her to the Master of Public Policy (MPP) course at the Blavatnik School.
“I was really drawn to the leadership component of the course, but I didn’t know if there was a place for a technologist like me. I had a conversation with Dr Richenda Gambles, Director of Admissions at the School, and she reminded me that technologists can be leaders as well. Her reassurance made such a difference.”
When she arrived in Oxford, passing the sandstone historical buildings, she said that it felt like “a dream”.
“The first book I read was Harry Potter, which was filmed here, so it really did feel like a storybook”.
She was struck by the “instant community” in her classmates.
“Marieme, someone I had never met before, took my hand and started introducing me to people. This community was really the cornerstone of my experience at the School, learning from such a breadth of experiences from every corner of the globe in an iconic building that was literally designed to drive innovation and collaboration.”
The chance to meet world leaders who visit the School to share their experience was “eye-opening”.
“It was an opportunity for pupils from conflict-affected regions and emerging markets to see eye-to-eye with presidents and prime ministers. That gives you a unique insight into what is happening at the top echelons of power and them an insight into our lives too.”
One of the courses that really stood out during the year was the Foundations course, designed to equip students to ask questions about the foundational values which drive public policy decisions. Taught by Dr Ẹniọlá Ànúolúwapọ́ Ṣóyẹmí, Senior Research Fellow in Political Philosophy and Public Policy, she was able to interrogate the motivations that led her to public service.
She also mentions the International Law module, taught by Professor Philippa Webb, which explored how policies are shaped and deployed to affect lives and livelihoods, as well as how policymakers can make decisions which promote justice for all. “It was incredible to see how she structured the course, taking the behemoth of international law and making it directly relevant to students.”
In this module, as throughout the MPP course, Sara notes that the case studies were also grounded in practical scenarios, such as planning climate policy to address risks expected to peak in 2040.
“We had to think in longer time horizons and ask what building blocks could lay the foundations for progress, sometimes decades ahead. Working through these problems and seeing how international law can protect communities and give states tools to stand up for people, crystallised a way of thinking about policymaking for me that emphasises advancement across generations and sees policymakers as custodians with a duty to make things better.”
Sara is now applying this vision and motivation to her new role, working with Professor Philippa Webb and Visiting Professor of Practice Amal Clooney at the new Institute for Technology and Justice, a partnership between the Blavatnik School of Government and the Clooney Foundation for Justice, the first global initiative dedicated to harnessing the power of AI for justice.
Drawing on her experience in civic tech and her MPP training, Sara is helping to ensure that co-design drives every technological solution that is being developed through the Institute. In partnership with the Women Lawyers Association of Malawi, she is currently working on an AI-powered, WhatsApp-based, first responders’ tool for women and girls, which allows frontline responders such as medics, teachers and social workers to interact with a chatbot to obtain legal information and connect women and girls to qualified pro bono lawyers who can advise and represent them.
Every element of the process is driven by the Women Lawyers Association.
“Co-design is more than consultation. It’s about anchored, shared decision-making. The big question that I’m asking at every stage is: if we walked away now, could the community take it forward?”
The emphasis on long-term horizons in the Master of Public Policy course has reinforced her conviction that good policy can take time. It means that communities stand on a level playing field, equipped to design solutions that work for them. “Red tape isn’t always a bad thing”, Sara adds. “It can mean accountability.”
Looking ahead, working to improve lives through responsible technology in conflict-affected regions, particularly for women and girls, remains a defining motivation. What inspires her and keeps her going? Sara talks about a young Afghan girl named Mursal. “She produces videos of inspiring women in technology in Afghanistan, whilst wearing a face mask. Against all barriers, she is using tech as a force for good.”