Impact Stories
Real stories from the field showcasing how human rights defenders are changing lives across the East and Horn of Africa.
Latest Impact
Championing Safe Digital Spaces: The Impact of Lisa Tenneh Diasay’s Work in Liberia
“Cyber security issues and incidents of digital hacking permeated the media world all around me, and I was genuinely concerned. To make matters worse, Women TV Liberia had run a story which ruffled a few feathers across the political field, resulting in our Facebook page and website being hacked. I even felt like I was being watched and followed. At one point, I went into hiding, fearing for my life.”
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Ryota Jonen’s Front-Row View of DefendDefenders
There are individuals who have watched – from a front-row seat vantage point – the evolution of DefendDefenders, from its inception 20 years ago to the present day. World Movement for Democracy’s former director, Ryota Jonen, is among those close and trusted allies who have stood the test of time. He recalls how a much younger DefendDefenders made a lasting impression on him at the 2009 “Jo’burg +10” event.
SOJOUD OMER AHMED ELGARRAI: “How his father’s ordeal made him more determined and committed to the cause.”
“Quite early in my career, when I was working with the UN Peacekeeping Mission in Sudan, I experienced firsthand just how dangerous human rights work can be. Some of my colleagues and I were detained from 8am to 8pm, and we were interrogated for hours before being released. But that ordeal only made me more determined and committed to the cause, and over the years, I have faced repeated threats, intimidation and targeting due to my journalism work and human rights advocacy.”
SULEIMAN SSENYONJO: “Standing up for the rights of people on the Island.”
“In 2013, DefendDefenders invited me to the official launch of the National Coalition of Human Rights Defenders – Uganda (NCHRD-U), which was the first such umbrella organisation for all HRDs in Uganda. I attended the launch and returned to Kalangala even more motivated to pursue my human rights work.”
SALEH MUSHABAH “Fighting electoral fraud and unrest by provincial authorities”
“DefendDefenders also trained me in using KoboToolbox, a digital tool for safe and secure data collection. This equipped me with the skill to continue my MDR work, even in the face of significant risks.”
TARIKAWIT FIKADU “Being the Voice Amid Ethiopia’s incredibly complex human rights terrain”
“I hope to see DefendDefenders expanding across the entire continent and becoming the major partner for human rights advocacy across Africa. DefendDefenders can bring all of us together, so that we have one voice and work as one.”