Harriet Tubman Award Winner:

Friends of Orphans

Few manage to escape with their lives, but Ricky did.  Improbably, despite his self-described “interrupted childhood”, Ricky earned a college degree and got a good job working for the Ugandan Ministry of Education and Sports.

An Organization Born of Hope in the War Zone
But something was missing for Ricky. He returned to the war zone. He turned his freedom into a lifeline for other child slaves. In 1999, Ricky and his friends started Friends of Orphans (FRO), an organization dedicated to empower and reintegrate former child soldiers into a society torn apart by atrocities the children were forced to commit. 

FRO impacts thousands of children and entire communities each year:
• Pays school fees to get former child soldiers an education and a path to rejoin society.
• Runs vocational and income generating programs
• Conducts peer counseling and individual therapy
• Carries out peace building projects
• Organizes music, cultural and sports progams that heal spirits and bring communities together
• Administers HIV and AIDS support programs; the overwhelming majority of children returning form the bush are HIV positive
 
Why FRO Works
Ricky never had any organized help rejoining society. He had to deal on his own with the memory of seeing his family burned to death by the rebels and by his own actions as a child soldier. He knows the nightmares that interrupt the sleep of children. Ricky believes FRO is successful at rehabilitating these children because so many of the staff were child soldiers. It makes it easier for the children to confide their past and begin to heal. That trust allows for the most targeted, effective help.  FRO offers the children a way to find hope once again.

Danger
The work is dangerous. FRO operates in the Pader District, the most vulnerable part of northern Uganda. Until just a few years ago the larger, better known international  NGOs did not venture into the district. It was too dangerous. FRO is the locally based group that was in this region before the big NGOs arrived and and the community understands that FRO is here to stay. It is understandable that villagers surround Ricky and his colleagues anywhere they go these days. The villagers are begging for help with schools, medicine, landmines – the list never ends.

The countryside looks so beautiful and peaceful now. But in one short drive Ricky pointed out at least seven places where massacres and ambushes had occurred in the recent past. Including an ambush that killed one of his colleagues and almost killed Ricky.

A Servant of Child Soldiers
When asked how he would like his work with FRO to be viewed, Ricky replies, “I do not wish to be recognized as a hero or as a prophet, but as a committed servant and advocate to end [the calamity of] child soldiers.”

About the Award:
These awards will be given to two community-based anti-slavery organizations that are demonstrating how slavery can be dismantled and destroyed.  These organizations will be working to prevent and eliminate slavery, and bringing survivors to lasting freedom.

The first Harriet Tubman Award will go to an organization working within communities to make the most significant and transformative contribution to ending slavery. 

The second Harriet Tubman Award will go to an organization specializing in social reintegration of survivors of slavery, helping them recover psychologically, earn their own income and regain a respected place in the community.

The recipient will receive:
• A grant of $25,000 a year for two years.
• A technical assistance package worth $15,000 for each of two years.
• A USA study tour to share experiences with relevant organizations.
• A short documentary produced by Free the Slaves about the activities and work of the organization.  More>>

The Freedom Awards are underwritten by the John Templeton Foundation.
 "The Freedom Awards combine the best of two world-changing forces that are central to Sir John Templeton’s positive vision for the future: the power of noble purpose to inspire lives of great significance, and the central importance of enhancing and expanding individual freedom.  In addition, the awards honor the memory of Sir John’s daughter Anne Templeton Zimmerman, who herself was a dedicated and courageous advocate for ending slavery and promoting religious freedom.”

-Kimon Sargeant, Ph.D., VP of Human Sciences, John Templeton Foundation

The Harriet Tubman Community and Reintegration Awards are named after the runaway slave who risked 13 dangerous rescue missions on the underground railroad during the US Civil War to free slaves.

Slavery Map

• Is there slavery in your own
  backyard? View our
  interactive map to find out.