ABOUT US
Seven consortium partners from across the African continent collaborate to strengthen the effectiveness and resilience of journalists, media professionals, social media producers, human rights defenders, civil society activists and their organisations, in order to advance more democratic and free societies.
The CHARM Africa program focuses its work on countries in sub-Saharan Africa where civil liberties are hampered. However, there are still spaces for expression, organisation and action, including pockets of resistance that can be supported to strengthen human rights and democratic freedoms.
WHO WE ARE
The Consortium for Human Rights and Media in Sub-Saharan Africa (CHARM) aims to promote and protect human rights and media freedoms in Sub-Saharan Africa.
The partnership of CIVICUS, Civil Rights Defenders, DefendDefenders, Fojo Media Institute, The Wits Centre for Journalism, Réseau des Femmes Leaders pour le Développement, and Magamba Network acknowledges the role that a free and active media and civil society have in the protection of robust and inclusive democracies and the promotion of sustainable national development. Together as a consortium, these organisations offer a strong and unique contribution in the following areas:
Civil society building and civic space advocacy by emboldening of local, national, regional, and global alliance of civil society organisations (CSO) and activists to bolster citizen action and civil society throughout sub-Saharan Africa and protect and safeguard civic space, in particular through enhance access of civil society and journalists working at grassroots and local levels to national, regional, and international decision making process. We strengthen civil society by reaching out to the most marginalised groups, including those who are part of small informal groups, unregistered collectives/networks, and individual human rights defenders.
MEET THE TEAM
The Coordination Team
The Steering Committee Team
The Program commitee
Our Partners
CIVICUS is a global alliance of civil society organisations and activists dedicated to strengthening citizen action and civil society throughout the world established in 1993 and since 2002 have been proudly headquartered in Johannesburg, South Africa, with additional hubs across the globe. We are a membership alliance with more than 15,000 members in more than 175 countries
DefendDefenders (the East and Horn of Africa Human Rights Defenders Project) seeks to strengthen the work of HRDs throughout the subregion by reducing their vulnerability to risks of persecution and ensure their capacity to efficiently defend human rights. This is done through emergency and medium-term protection support, capacity building, advocacy, and research.
DefendDefenders is the secretariat of the East and Horn of Africa Human Rights Defenders Network, which represents thousands of members consisting of individual HRDs, human rights organisations, and national coalitions that envision a sub-region in which the human rights of every individual as stipulated in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights are respected and upheld.
The Network also serves as the secretariat for AfricanDefenders (Pan-African Human Rights Defenders Network). Further, DefendDefenders also holds a consultative status with the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) as well as observer status with the African Commission of Human and Peoples’ Rights.
The expertise DefendDefenders has in working with human rights defenders throughout Africa and the successful advocacy efforts at African Union and United Nations level makes DefendDefenders a valuable partner for CHARM.
Established in 1972, Fojo Media Institute has been a driving force in strengthening and advancing journalism and media in Sweden. Since the early nineties, our impact has extended globally, with a primary focus on Eastern Europe, the Western Balkans, sub-Saharan Africa, South America, and Asia.
We’re all about using arts, digital media, civic tech & activism to inform and inspire young people to take action.
We empower young Africans to demand a society with radically participatory democracy, free media, a sustainable creative sector, and a just & green economy.
The Wits Centre for Journalism (WCJ) is one of the leading journalism and media professional training institutions on the continent, with strong relationships with the South African media industry. Over 20 years, the WCJ has become a leading provider of quality postgraduate teaching, thought leadership and practical engagement with the changing world of journalism. We facilitate a number of key meetings for journalists in Africa, including Radio Days and the African Investigative Journalism Conference (AIJC).
The Women Leaders Network for Development – Réseau des Femmes Leaders pour le développement (RFLD) is a women-led organisation working to end discrimination, violence against women and girls, and promote gender equality and human rights in Sub-Saharan Africa