On August 1, 2024, Thursday, the Grassroots Defenders Fund hosted its first General Members Assembly at Skylight Hotel Mbarara.
This is a newly established fund with the aim “To support grassroots human rights defenders and journalists who find themselves in emergency situations due to the nature of their work.”
The purpose is “To promote respect for and enhance the protection of grassroots human rights defenders and journalists working on different human rights issues by providing urgent emergency support throughout Uganda.”
Mr. Tugumisirize Barnabas (Chairperson), who also serves as a board member of the fund, disclosed that the fund has already registered 29 members, 9 board members, and 5 approved secretariat members.
“As long as you are a human rights defender or a journalist, we wish to have over 3,000 members in the future,” he added.
In this meeting, 15 laptops were given to members to help in modernizing and amplifying their duties towards the success of the fund. This came after the fund raised over 3.2 million UGX to use in operations as well.
Among the challenges faced by the fund are limited resources, inadequate training, and a risky operating environment.
