East African NGOs Get Funds to Fight Slavery, Human Trafficking

A U.S.$1 million fund launched by the Freedom Fund aims to get money directly into the hands of organisations led by survivors of modern slavery - and then trust them to spend it in the ways they think will achieve the most impact. Three East African countries - Ethiopia, Kenya and Uganda - are piloting what is dubbed the Survivor Leadership Fund. The participating countries have survivor-led organisations with one or more persons who lived through exploitation - including human trafficking, forced labour, bonded labour or forced marriage.

"The Survivor Leadership Fund aims to uplift and support survivor-led organisations by providing them with the freedom to choose how best to build internal capacity. We aren't setting rules, conditions, outcomes or objectives. We trust them to use their grant in the ways they think best to achieve the aims of their organisation," Meseret Bayou, deputy country representative for the Freedom Fund in Ethiopia said.

The Freedom Fund is a leader in the global movement to end modern slavery. They identify and invest in the most effective frontline efforts to eradicate modern slavery in the countries and sectors where it is most prevalent. Partnering with visionary investors, governments, anti-slavery organisations and those at risk of exploitation, they tackle the systems that allow slavery to persist and thrive.