About a year and a half ago, I was chatting with my former colleague Jonathan about meaningful ways to volunteer. He connected me with Jeff, who then introduced me to Emmanuel in Ghana. Emmanuel was organizing a digital safety conference and invited me to give a talk at his non-profit foundation in Ghana. I thought I was just helping out once. But the experience stuck with me, especially after meeting folks like Uchechi Joy, who are doing important cybersecurity work in their communities. The more we talked, the more I realized how far an hour of my time could go. With just a bit of technical help, they were supporting entire schools, nonprofits, and local networks. That realization stuck: when it comes to volunteering, I want to be where I can do the most good.
I now serve as a technical advisor for the Africa Online Safety Platform (funded by Google.org) and as a faculty/mentor with the Trust & Safety Africa Academy. Both organizations are non-profits, building a safer internet across the African continent through education, tools, and research. The Academy’s fellowship program teaches skills like AI content moderation and ethical hacking, areas that are often missing from traditional cybersecurity training.
In the online world of cybersecurity, there are no geographical boundaries or limitations. During my time on the Google Messages spam protection team, I saw spam campaigns from Southeast Asia spread to the US and Europe in hours.
It’s rewarding to know that a few hours a week of volunteering can contribute to protecting countless people from online harm. And often, the most meaningful work starts with a simple introduction and a willingness to help.