Dear Friends, Supporters and Donors, With gratitude, African Human Rights Coalition is celebrating a year well spent. For an organization that has never had operational funding, what we have accomplished, together with our ambassadors, volunteers, and program donors is remarkable. Imagine what we could accomplish with operational funding! And therein lies one big hope for 2023.
Our 2022 accomplishments include: · Supporting emergency safe shelters in Kenya, Cameroon, UAE, Zambia, Burundi, and Malawi , to include food, medical assistance, clothing, bedding, etc.
· Individual case advocacy for over 60 forcibly displaced LGBTI+ people
· General advocacy impacting thousands of LGBTI+ people subjected to persecution and violence
· Security fencing + fortification + latrine grants in refugee camps
· Providing support and advocacy to LGBTI people unable to move their process in countries where the presence of LGBTQI + refugees/ asylum seekers is not tolerated, unfathomably dangerous, and lacking in protection, representation, routes and solutions
· Country conditions expert witness reports and testimony in the U.S. Courts on behalf of asylum seekers from Guinea Conakry, Equatorial Guinea, Nigeria, Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda, Niger, DRC, Angola and Ghana, all cases granted
· The production and presentation of an historic Pride video message featuring by Dr. Filippo Grandi, UN High Commissioner for Refugees to San Francisco Pride on main-stage in June, 2022, under the theme “LOVE WILL KEEP US TOGETHER”, bringing this message to millions of people and including the PRIDE greetings of refugees from Africa and Costa Rica at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AeGCgoNhzUk
· Sponsorship for Uganda Pride’s Tenth Anniversary
· Medical + dental service interventions for refugees and children · Weekly motivational meetings with refugees in several African countries · Participation with partners in various programs and projects
· Country conditions briefings for press, bar association committee meetings, corporations, educational venues, and colleges, on issues impacting LGBTI+ people in forced displacement · Established a new office in Kenya for East Africa’s LGBTQI+ community in forced displacement, developing shelters, livelihood and orientation programs · Participating in Asylum and path related advocacy in the U.S., to include TITLE 42 advocacy
WITH MUCH GRATITUDE AHRC was able to open a new Safe Shelter in Kenya to house 16 LGBTQI+ refugees, and to provide space for livelihood self sustaining projects
THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK EVERLAND came through for our Kenyan LGBTQI+ community: EVERLAND, a corporate donor, exists to help people prosper from conserving their forests and wildlife, resulting in climate change mitigation for the benefit of all. EVERLAND mobilizes transformative investments into forest communities who are on the frontlines stopping deforestation, halting climate change, and safeguarding biodiversity, in order to deliver conservation outcomes at scale.
A special THANK YOU to EVERLAND, for the extremely generous corporate sponsorship of several safe shelters and food projects provided for 2023. All benefitting have expressed gratitude for your generosity and care.
THANK YOU THANK YOU TO THANK YOU TO THANK YOU TO Our refugee AMBASSADORS for you hard work in the harshest and most unforgiving of environments, with a special thanks to Liam Ibrahim who runs our Kenya office for his leadership and fortitude under such difficult circumstances UNHCR for the support of LGBTQI+ refugees in and from Africa, given that navigating hostile environments present complexity and many challenges
THANK YOU Marc Cohen for the support and generosity you have provided to make so much of what we accomplished possible A special THANK YOU to REAL CHEMISTRY for sponsoring the PRIDE VIDEO
On a personal note thank you to my partner Dr. Carol Goldman, who has been incredibly supportive of AHRC and me. She puts up with my crazy work hours and never ending deadlines, my solemn moods, and helps me keep steady as I am oft compelled to process my own emotions around a milieu where I am privy to so much violence and suffering.
THE YEAR AHEAD:
That is our mission for 2023… to grow and add to our extraordinary trajectory.
We are embarking on some new projects, including… Briefing corporations about the country conditions in which they operate.
African Human Rights Coalition is the ONLY LGBTQI+ organization that is dedicated to displaced LGBTQI+ people in and from African countries, and is refugee and immigrant led.
PLEASE CONSIDER a year end contribution: To keep our programs going and to increase our impact to meet the unyielding need of a population that is so unjustly criminalized and persecuted, simply because of sexuality and gender identity.
TO DONATE please link HERE
For a detailed briefing, or a presentation, – please contact me at nathan@AfricanHRC.org
To participate in our corporate sponsor donor program please contact me at nathan@africanHRC.org
Many thanks again and in solidarity Aluta continua MEL Melanie Nathan African Human Rights Coalition Executive Director AfricanHRC.org pronouns: she / her / hers
