This Black History Month, we’re proud to highlight two inspiring Black women-led organisations that are dedicated to safeguarding and advancing freedom of expression. Founded or co-founded by exceptional women lawyers in our network, these organisations are dedicated to protecting free speech and empowering communities at heightened risk.
Afia Amani Grands-Lacs
Co-Founded by Congolese journalist and lawyer Nadine Kampire, Afia Amani Grands-Lacs is a media network based in the Democratic Republic of Congo, focused on fact-checking, press freedom, and community support. Recognising the need for accurate, independent information during the Covid-19 pandemic, Nadine and her colleagues launched the organisation in January 2022 to address the severe information gap in the African Great Lakes Region.
Afia Amani Grands-Lacs works to ensure that communities affected by public health issues, natural disasters, and conflict have access to trustworthy information. The organisation’s initiatives include creating spaces for dialogue, raising awareness about disinformation and hate speech, and promoting accurate, contextualised reporting on health, peace, and disaster prevention. By improving communication within local communities, they aim to reduce violence and conflict and enhance the resilience of vulnerable populations.
“For rural communities, freedom of expression is complex,” Nadine explains. “Content on platforms is often not in local languages, and there’s no moderation in these languages. This is a huge problem for those of us fighting misinformation in local languages. Ongoing conflict and displacement make it even harder for people to express themselves freely and stay informed.”
Driven by the motto “Good information saves lives,” Nadine’s mission is to bridge these information gaps and empower communities to access accurate news, both online and offline.
SafeOnline Women-Kenya (SOW-Kenya)
Founded by Lilian Olivia Orero, an Advocate of the High Court of Kenya and a fierce advocate for women’s digital rights, SafeOnline Women-Kenya (SOW-Kenya) addresses the growing issue of online gender-based violence. Lilian has served as the youngest UN Women Civil Society Regional Reference Group Member in the Spotlight Initiative Africa Regional Programme, aimed at ending violence against women and girls.
Driven by her commitment to women’s rights, Lilian established SOW-Kenya to combat online harassment, which can lead to severe psychological and physical harm. SOW-Kenya provides educational resources, digital literacy programmes, and partnerships that help women and girls participate in online spaces safely and confidently.
One of SOW-Kenya’s groundbreaking projects is the development of an app called SafeHer. Using AI and machine learning, SafeHer includes anti-cyberbullying algorithms to detect and prevent harmful comments online. It also functions as a reporting tool for online violence, addressing the lack of effective mechanisms for women, particularly journalists and public figures, to report such abuse. “The app fosters a community-reporting system, giving women a safe way to report online violence,” Lilian explains. “Existing reporting systems often fail them, and SafeHer aims to change that.”
These two organisations are at the forefront of defending freedom of expression and empowering vulnerable communities. We are honoured to spotlight their achievements and the inspiring women leading them.
