A bystander is interviewed by journalists in Nairobi, Kenya. © Christena Dowsett/Getty Images

Focus

Voices for Change, Africa

The Voices for Change (V4C), Africa project is building the capacity of human rights defenders, civil society groups, and journalists to work together to raise public awareness and launch advocacy campaigns focused on human rights violations.

Years active: 2017-present

Operating in East and West Africa since 2017 – with a focus on Ghana, Kenya and Nigeria – the long-term goal of V4C is to increase accountability for serious human rights abuses.

To date, the project has supported a wide range of campaigns and reports in areas including high-level corruption, gender-based violence, and police brutality.

Capacity building measures include training and mentoring to leading civil society groups and journalists, as well as facilitating roundtables and other networking mechanisms, providing opportunities for collaboration and connections between like-minded actors working on human rights issues.

V4C is currently implemented in partnership with Africa Uncensored and the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID). Africa Uncensored is an independent investigative media organisation based in Nairobi, Kenya, and is led by the award-winning reporter John-Allan Namu. CJID is a think-tank and NGO supporting and empowering the African media, with headquarters in Abuja, Nigeria, and operations in a range of countries including Ghana.

V4C is implemented with the support of the Wellspring Philanthropic Fund and currently runs until October 2025.