I had the opportunity to work as an intern with the #DefyHateNow Organization as a South Sudan Analyst. I learnt so much about the work that the organization does towards enhancing and building trust between South Sudanese communities, which includes organizing youth engagement training sessions, focus group discussions and workshops with the aim of creating […]
Luka Kuol (PhD) is a Professor at Africa Center for Strategic Studies (ACSS) at US National Defense University in Washington and a faculty lead of two academic programs: National Security Strategy Development in Africa and Managing Security Resources in Africa. He is also Associate Professor of Economics at University of Juba, South Sudan, a Global […]
Gemma is an experienced partnerships and fundraising expert who has worked in 3 different countries for over 8 years. She has extensive knowledge and connections in the education, start-up and SME sectors in Africa through her networking. She has raised funds of over $10 million through foundations and private companies for successful long-term partnerships, and […]
SIFTA, which stands for Space for Ideas, Freedom, Transformation, and Action is a framework for change developed by #defyhatenow to tackle the ever-growing threats of hate speech, misinformation and fake news among South Sudanese. SIFTA works based on impartial and transparent mechanisms that aim at having a more cohesive South Sudan by combating the impact […]
Art4Peace is an art project that reflects on how hate speech affects individuals in South Sudan. One area we have been working on has been the Art 4 Peace project which has involved a short film, Defy Hate, individual music videos, community music videos and some illustrations. All these art projects form a part of […]
Connecting the Dots aims at mapping out current challenges and creating strategies to tackle the difficulties encountered by the young information consumers in South Sudan. The program is focused on how to cultivate the skills needed for creating a healthier and safer online experience devoid of toxic ideologies, hate speech, misinformation, disinformation, and fake news. […]
Actions for Peace comes in as a response to the need for a sustained hate speech mitigation and local peacebuilding activities that aim at building trust among local actors and mitigating hate speech through youth-led local initiatives that have the ability to impact the local communities. The program is aimed at impacting youth who will […]
South Sudan Data Speaks is a 3-month data journalism fellowship for South Sudanese journalists and online content creators. The program is designed to educate participants on the fundamentals of data journalism through a one-month in-depth training, facilitated by experienced data journalists. The one-month training will be followed by two months field assignment for fellows to […]
John Jal Dak Ruot is a South Sudanese Refugee living in Ugandan Refugee Settlement of Rhino Camp Uganda, a student at Bugema University pursuing a Bachelor’s Degree in Development Studies. John is the Founder and Executive Director of Youth Social Advocacy Team, a refugee Youth led community based Organization in refugee camp of Uganda, he […]
Omnia Abbas Shawkat graduated with a BSc. in Biology with a focus on Environmental Studies from the American University in Cairo, 2008. She has a Master’s Degree in Environment and Resource Management with a focus on Water and Climate Policy from the Vrije Universiteit in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. After 6 years in development and environmental […]
Ms. Gikunda is a Human Resource Consultant with over 7 years’ experience in various capacities. She holds a Bachelor of Commerce in Human Resource Management from Egerton University, Kenya. She is passionate about designing the future of work at the intersection of innovation, youth and human capital. She has worked with consulting firms such as […]