[vc_row][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text]The Africans Rising Activism Awards initiative recognizes both individual and collective activism through the presentation of two awards: the Africans Rising Activist of the Year award and the Africans Rising Movement of the Year award.
The Africans Rising Activism Awards initiative supports and connects activists and movements in a global network of Africans committed to engaging in non-violent actions to promote justice, peace, and dignity for all Africans everywhere.
Read the biographies of the final 10 candidates below and then cast your vote for who you think should be named the 2020 Africans Rising Activist of the Year.
More information about the award can be found here.
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”14944″ img_size=”1080×1080″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_zigzag][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”14945″ img_size=”1080×1080″][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text]Tournons La Page | Central Africa
Tournons La Page (TLP) is an international citizens’ movement bringing together nearly 250 organizations to lead and relay actions promoting democratic change in Africa.
On the ground in ten countries – Burundi, Cameroon, Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Gabon, Guinea, Niger, DRC, Chad, and Togo – TLP coalitions are leading peaceful and non-partisan actions to contribute to the democratic future of their country.
In France, the International Secretariat based in Paris supports coalitions through training, coordination and animation of the network, lobbying and advocacy, media presence, and the protection of activists.
In 2018, the Tournons La Page movement was awarded the Human Rights Prize of the French Republic for its actions to promote democracy and defend human rights.
In July 2019, the first International General Assembly was held in Niamey in the presence of representatives of member coalitions and 11 TLP partners.
Since its creation, the movement has been the subject of citations in several academic publications.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_zigzag][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”14955″ img_size=”1080×1080″][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text]Mouvement Citoyen Filimbi | Democratic Republic of Congo
Filimbi, which means whistle in Swahili, is a non-partisan and non-violent Congolese citizen movement.
Filimbi dreams of a Democratic Republic of the Congo where every citizen and young people in particular are capable of thinking and acting freely in strict compliance with the rules established by the Laws of the Republic.
The main objective of the Filimbi movement is to increase citizen engagement and to encourage dialogue between citizens and social and political actors to improve the quality of life of the population.
On March 15, 2015, following a workshop launching the Filimbi movement, the political power of the time suppressed and arrested several participants. Fortunately, certain founders of the movement escaped this kidnapping. They then went into hiding before being able to leave the country thanks to a large chain of solidarity. Since March 2020, the Citizen Filimbi movement has been carrying out awareness-raising actions in markets, schools, military and police camps, reception centers for people living with disabilities on COVID-19.
Filimbi’s slogan is “The Congo belongs to us all”. The organizational logo symbolizes young Congolese who are aware of their rights and give themselves the means to ensure the proper application of common rules, the Constitution and laws, and democratically sanction any deviation.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_zigzag][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”14949″ img_size=”1080×1080″][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text]Collectif des Communautés Subsahariennes au Maroc | Morocco
Collectif des Communautés Subsahariennes au Maroc is a non-profit organization that defends the rights of migrants and works for their socio-economic, educational and cultural integration.
Created in 2011, the CCSM has carried out advocacy, awareness-raising and mediation actions in favor of the integration of migrants in Morocco.
The CCSM has supported migrants during the two regularization operations, in 2014 and 2016, in partnership with the CNDH and CARITAS. In February 2015, following the announcement of the end of the exceptional regularization operation, the Moroccan authorities carried out a large dismantling operation in the camps of Gourougou near the city of Melilla during which 1,200 people were arrested. In this context, the CCSM helped carry out a mission and publish a note on the arbitrary displacement and detention of migrants with several recommendations.
The CCSM has also carried out pilot civil society advocacy projects co-financed by the European Union on “access to migrants’ rights to live better together” and conducted an investigation with CARITAS on the benefits of the residence permit for the 2014 regularization operation.
As part of the second phase of the regularization operation, the CCSM assisted in the preparation of a report on the progress of the regularization in 13 regions and cities of Morocco to identify the difficulties met by authorities, associations and migrants, and formulated recommendations to the appeals committee and the authorities.
In 2018-2019, the CCSM carried out a project for access to education for migrant children in the Moroccan public school system.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_zigzag][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”14948″ img_size=”1080×1080″][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text]Sudanese Organization for Research and Development | Sudan
Sudanese Organization for Research and Development is a membership-based, national non-governmental organization dedicated to human rights and gender equality in Sudan.
The core business of SORD revolves around human rights, and gender equality and its main target groups are women and youth. SORD implements its programs using a rights-based approach.
Currently SORD has a country office based in Khartoum and two branch offices in Kassala and Gadaref states of eastern Sudan. Focusing on east Sudan region is attributed mainly to the fact that eastern Sudan region suffers from severe underdevelopment, discrimination along gender lines, inadequate basic services, deteriorating socio-economic conditions and population displacement. In addition, eastern Sudan has suffered from lack of attention from the international humanitarian and development communities as resources have flowed to other areas of Sudan.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_zigzag][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”14957″ img_size=”1080×1080″][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text]Black Tuesday Movement | Sierra Leone
The Black Tuesday Movement is a movement for change in Sierra Leone in terms of advocacy, policy formulation and awareness-raising. It was established in 2018 to end all forms of violation against women and girls.
Based on the impact of the movement, Sierra Leone has now reviewed the sexual offense act of 2019 and formed a special rape court to fast-track rape issues.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_zigzag][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”14956″ img_size=”1080×1080″][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text]Human Rights Reporters Ghana | Ghana
The Human Rights Reporters Ghana (HRRG) is a vibrant Ghana-based non-governmental organization with a global reach committed to protecting and ending rights abuses in Ghana and beyond. HRRG brings together journalists, news editors, human rights activists, advocates, defenders and lawyers to advance the rights of women, girls, children, young people living with disabilities and other minority groups.
In 2019, the HRRG, with support of its dedicated team of volunteers, embarked on a ‘Nationwide Sensitization Campaign on Kidnapping, Teenage, Pregnancy and Tramadol/Drug Abuse’. At the time, issues of kidnappings dominated media headlines locally, nationally and internationally.
Over a two-year period, the HRRG team visited communities, schools and religious settings across Ghana to sensitize over 60,000 Ghanaians on the most pressing and critical and social issues in the country.
HRRG upholds the principles of the United Nations and African Union. It is an accredited member of several national, regional and international organizations in Ghana and abroad, including the Global Network of Civil Society Organizations for Disaster Reduction, Ghana Civil Society Organizations Platform on SDGs and the African Network of Young Leaders for Peace and Sustainable Development.
Currently, HRRG is the co-convener of CSOs Youth Sub-Platform on SDGs including the National Focal Organization for the African Network of Young Leaders for Peace and Sustainable Development.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_zigzag][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”14951″ img_size=”1080×1080″][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text]Powering Young Initiatives | Zambia
Powering Youth Initiatives is a registered not-for-profit youth organisation founded in 2018 and registered on July 5th 2019 under the Patents and Companies Registration Agency. PYI’s main goal is to empower a diverse group of young people with leadership and entrepreneurial skills to address climate change. The Powering Young Initiatives mission is to empower individuals and their communities to engage in solutions to 17 Sustainable Development Goals and climate change mitigation and adaptation.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_zigzag][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”14958″ img_size=”1080×1080″][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text]Southern Africa Youth Forum SADC | Southern Africa
Southern Africa Youth Forum (SAYoF) is a regional platform for youths and youth organizations within the SADC region. It is founded based on the increasing demand by youth to be important players and stakeholders in regional processes to proffer solidarity at national and regional levels, and to promote the participation in sustainable transformation in the agenda set by SADC Heads of State, the SADC Secretariat among other SADC organs. SAYoF is composed of youth organizations and formations working in SADC member states, taking advantage of their diversity and innovativeness to transform lives.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_zigzag][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”14946″ img_size=”1080×1080″][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text]SEMA | Uganda
SEMA – Swahili for ‘Speak! What’s up!?’ – aims to improve transparency and accountability of public services in East Africa by creating user-centered citizen feedback tools. We do this to give citizens a voice in evaluating the services that they have received.
By presenting this feedback in actionable, easy-to-understand ways to local and national governments, SEMA fosters better quality public services that can improve the lives of millions of people. Our mission is that by 2030, all public service providers in East Africa will use citizen feedback to evaluate their service experience.
At SEMA, we believe that a citizen’s voice can make a difference in the community and as such, have developed inclusive, user-friendly data collection tools that allow all citizens to give anonymous, quick and reliable feedback about their experience at public offices.
For immediate feedback at the public offices free of charge, we have produced hardware IoT feedback devices with smiley faces and a network of trained data surveyors. For away-from-the public office feedback, we have deployed an IVR line, a USSD code and mobile (WhatsApp). Through these ways, over 92,000 citizens have given their feedback on 26 public offices each showing positive results.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_zigzag][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”14947″ img_size=”1080×1080″][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text]Simama Na DADA Initiative | Kenya
Simama Na DADA was founded by Sylvia Khasoa Sore in 2013 to advance the quality of life of extremely underprivileged women and girls. Simama Na DADA Initiative believes that the most effective way to help a child, especially a girl child, is to provide her with basic necessities that directly impact her life.
Even in the 21st century young women and girls are still being stigmatized and denied opportunities because of menstruation. Simama Na DADA seeks to empower young girls through mentorship, and the provision and distribution of sanitary towels. The organization has distributed these products to over 8,000 girls whose communities force them to look at menstruation as taboo, a curse or a handicap that makes them dirty, unworthy, or disabled. [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_zigzag][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/4″][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][dfd_button button_size=”dfd-button-full-width” button_text=”CAST YOUR VOTE” buttom_link_src=”url:https%3A%2F%2Fafricansrising.org%2Fvote%2F|title:2020%20Africans%20Rising%20Activism%20Awards||” style=”style_1″ box_shadow=”box_shadow_enable:disable|shadow_horizontal:0|shadow_vertical:15|shadow_blur:50|shadow_spread:0|box_shadow_color:rgba(0%2C0%2C0%2C0.35)” hover_box_shadow=”box_shadow_enable:disable|shadow_horizontal:0|shadow_vertical:15|shadow_blur:50|shadow_spread:0|box_shadow_color:rgba(0%2C0%2C0%2C0.35)” title_font_options=”font_size:45″][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/4″][/vc_column][/vc_row]