UK Charity Hope for Justice Working To End Modern Slavery And Human Trafficking Wins Main Prize in .ORG Impact Awards

Commenting on LinkedIn, Hope for Justice said they were “thrilled to announce that we have been recognised as .ORG Charity of the Year at this year’s prestigious .ORG Impact Awards held in Washington DC by the Public Interest Registry.”

“This remarkable achievement is not just an award; it is a testament to our collective dedication and unwavering commitment to combatting modern slavery and transforming lives. Knowing that our work is making a profound impact and resonating on a global scale makes us incredibly proud.”

The seven winners – selected from almost 1,000 applicants from over 70 countries — were announced live at a Washington D.C. awards ceremony Friday hosted by Padma Lakshmi, activist, author, and host/producer of Hulu’s Taste the Nation. The annual awards ceremony returned to an in-person event for the first time since the pandemic and awarded a record total of $180,000 in donations to organisations from the global .org Community across seven categories:

•     Community Building: Kakenya’s Dream
•     Quality Education for All: Seeding Labs
•     Environmental Stewardship: CREATE Borneo
•     Diversity, Equity and Inclusion: Hope for Justice
•     Health and Healing: HERhealthEQ
•     Hunger and Poverty: WHOlives
•     Rising Stars (leaders, under 25, making a difference in their communities): Stanley Anigbogu, LightEd

All category winners received a US$10,000 donation while the.ORG of the Year received an additional $40,000 donation to support their missions.

More information on each of the winners and what the organisation does is below:

.ORG of the Year: Hope for Justice

Hope for Justice exists to bring an end to modern slavery by preventing exploitation, rescuing victims, restoring lives, and reforming society.

Hope for Justice does more than raise awareness – it focuses on action. A team of investigators with years of law enforcement experience, multilingual outreach workers, accredited trainers, legal experts, social workers, therapists, nurses, policy specialists, campaigners and professionals, Hope for Justice is on the ground in the places that are worst affected by human trafficking and modern slavery.

Hope for Justice is also the winner of the 2023 .ORG Impact Award for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.

Community Building: Kakenya’s Dream

Kakenya’s Dream invests in girls from rural communities through educational, health, and leadership initiatives to create agents of change. Kakenya’s Dream began as a single primary school, educating 30 vulnerable girls beneath the shade of a tree, and today, the organisation operates two world-class boarding schools and several other education, health, and leadership programs that serve thousands across rural Kenya each year. Kakenya’s Dream has evolved into a global team building a replicable model of education and empowerment for underserved African communities.

Quality Education for All: Seeding Labs

Seeding Labs works to unleash the full potential of scientists worldwide to fight global diseases, feed our growing population, and protect our planet. Providing the greatest scientific minds overseas with the tools and training they need to respond to local challenges before they become global crises, Seeding Labs is supporting researchers on the scientific frontlines — wherever that may be — to strengthen the entire global community. Seeding Labs equips scientists with the connections they need to be on the cutting edge of global discovery.

Environmental Stewardship: CREATE Borneo

CREATE Borneo aims to equip indigenous youth with the means to preserve their culture while competing in a growing economy and taking responsibility for their environmental stewardship through appropriate technologies. A village-based workshop and training facility, CREATE Borneo educates the next generation of indigenous engineers in renewable energy technologies and allows indigenous communities to develop and harness their resources on their own terms while incentivising environmental stewardship.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: Hope for Justice

In addition to receiving the awards for .ORG of the Year, Hope for Justice is also the winner in the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion category.

Health and Healing: HERhealthEQ

HERhealthEQ was born out of a need to reduce the equity gap in access to healthcare for women around the world. What began as a singular donation of a mammogram machine to a Costa Rican hospital, has now grown into an international web of healthcare solutions. The HERhealthEQ team is driven by a desire to see fewer women face the choice between their own healthcare and putting food on the tables of their families. HERhealthEQ works to improve women’s health in developing countries by providing access to medical devices & equipment, creating an equitable standard of care.

Hunger and Poverty: WHOlives

WHOlives is committed to bringing clean water to developing communities in a self-sustainable process. WHOlives creates local ownership, economic incentives, and accountability which keeps wells operational. These new water systems are then maintained and operated by local people, ownership and economic viability is established so maintenance and access to clean water is continuous. This initiative is a proven solution that leads to increased education for girls, improved health and sanitation, and greater opportunities for development.

Rising Star: Stanley Anigbogu, LightEd LightEd is a renewable energy company that focuses on using waste material to build renewable energy solutions that can light up homes and families in rural and some urban communities. Refugees, students, and rural communities often struggle to light their homes and businesses. LightEd powers access to brighter lives through accessible and innovative renewable energy solutions made of recycled e-waste and plastic waste, with the goal of empowering 5 Million+ Africans to live sustainably by 2035.