ONLINE HUB CITIES

The Digital Defenders (Africa HRD (human rights defender)) Fund is a partnership between AfricanDefenders and Meta. It is a microgrant program tailored to support HRDs impacted by their online activism. This initiative aligns with AfricanDefenders’ existing effort, the Ubuntu Hub Cities initiative, which focuses on city-based relocation for at-risk HRDs across Africa. The program supports HRDs confronting risk because of their human rights work in Africa. The fund enables HRDs who face imminent threat and have been subject to targeting, violence and extreme pressure as a consequence of their human rights work online to apply for small emergency grants for the purposes of legal fees, relocation assistance, and digital security devices.

Human rights defenders face special challenges when it comes to their personal safety and security. To address these challenges, Defenders’ Safe offers a collection of Meta resources and partnerships designed to bolster both online and offline security. These resources provide the essential knowledge and tools needed to ensure that human rights defenders can continue their important work safely and effectively.