Trust Fund for Victims' partner in Uganda receives 2017 EU Human Rights Defender Award

 On 25 May 2017, on behalf of the Delegation of the European Union, the EU Member States and Norway represented in Uganda, H.E. Henk Jan Bakker, the Ambassador of the Netherlands to Uganda, announced Pamela Angwech, Founder & Executive Director of Gulu Women’s Economic Development &Globalization (GWED-G) to be the winner of the 2017 EU Human Rights Defenders Award.

Ms. Angwech is Founder and Executive Director of GWED-G, the region’s largest grassroots human rights organization, focusing on women and youth. Since its founding in 2004, GWED-G aims to strengthen the capacity of grassroots communities in northern Uganda to become self-reliant agents of change for peace and development through training and education so that they can make effective decisions concerning their rights, health, and development. GWED-G has programme in health, human rights, peace building, economic empowerment and livelihoods, psychosocial support and counselling, research and advocacy.

“This is great news and congratulations to Pamela and GWED-G for winning the award. A very well-deserved recognition of Pamela’s tireless advocacy and effective leadership in support of victim survivors and to ensure that women and girls have equal rights”, said Pieter de Baan, Executive Director of the Trust Fund for Victims. He adds, “The Trust Fund for Victims is honoured and proud to have a partnership with GWED-G over the years, as one of our implementing organisations in Uganda.”

Since 2008, the TFV had indirectly partnered with GWED-G through another organisation, and in 2015, the TFV started a new partnership with GWED-G to implement a project under the assistance mandate in northern Uganda. Under this project, GWED-G provides medical referral (physical rehabilitation), and psychological support to reduce trauma and restore hope of victim survivors of war, and to raise awareness of  community members on preventing and responding to sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV).

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