Stephen Lewis Foundation

Photo Credit: Ernest Ziro

Description: HAPA

Location: Kenya

Become a Partner in Pride

Support LGBTIQ community organizations working for justice and equality

Leaders of LGBTIQ organizations in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, and Democratic Republic of Congo work and live in environments characterized by violent homophobia, legally entrenched discrimination, and political and social persecution. These human rights defenders put their safety on the line every day to lead organizations that stand up for the human rights and health of LGBTIQ communities. Far too often, they are doing it alone.

You can be a part of changing that. Help us get LGBTIQ organizations the funds they need.

The SLF’s Partners in Pride campaign supports these organizations, which are lifelines for their communities. They provide vital services, including health care, mental health supports, social supports, and legal counsel.

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The last year has been a difficult one for our LGBTIQ partner organizations. Widespread discrimination, pervasive stigma, and barriers to social and legal support have led to human rights violations and exacerbated the impacts of HIV on LGBTIQ communities. Yet, our LGBTIQ partners continue to provide life-saving programs and to fight for the right to exist free from stigma, discrimination, and criminalization.

“We are driven by the conviction that we are part of a larger story of global human rights, and we will not give up until we have built the future we deserve.” – Frank Mugisha

Learn more about our 13 LGBTIQ grassroots partners in our Partners in Pride Impact Report 2023.

Pride Talks Highlights

Hear from Biggie, Executive Director of Freedom and Roam Uganda (FARUG). Biggie is a social justice warrior and activist who is unapologetic about her work with the LGBTIQ community, standing up to stigma and discrimination often imposed by politicians and religious leaders who cling to colonial-era, anti-LGBTIQ laws that encourage hatred and curtail human rights.

Sexual Minorities Uganda-Quchu Leadership Academy
Mentoring up-and-coming LGBTIQ community leaders through workshops, training, and debates, Sexual Minorities Uganda’s Quchu Leadership Academy empowers human-rights defenders to grow the LGBTIQ movement. Photo provided by SMUG.
HAPA-Kenya Drop-In Centre
Stigma-free care at HIV & AIDS People’s Alliance of Kenya provides a step toward health equity for LGBTIQ communities. During the COVID-19 pandemic, HAPA-Kenya adapted services to enhance food security, improve access to HIV medication, and respond to increased incidents of violence against community members. Photo provided by HAPA-Kenya.
Outreach and community engagement are central to defending human rights, and providing HIV services to communities that may not be able to access services in clinics. BHESP in Kenya provides mobile health care to communities surrounding Nairobi.
A safe space to gather and connect, Rainbow Sunrise Mapambazuko’s LGBTI friendship centre in Democratic Republic of the Congo provides access to stigma-free health care, including voluntary HIV testing, prevention, and treatment. Photo provided by RSM.
Many of the SLF’s partners emphasize the urgent need to invest in the LGBTIQ community’s mental as well as physical health. Icebreakers Uganda, for example, held activities and workshops to mark World Mental Health Day in October 2022. Photo credit: Sofi Lundin

Join the Movement


Last year, the LGBTIQ Africa Initiative supported 13 organizations in 5 countries.

Since 2003, we’ve raised $183 million in support of community-led organizations across 15 African countries. You too can help fundraise and make a difference!

Join our SLF community and receive ongoing updates.

Join Partners in Pride to help power the LGBTIQ health and human rights movement.

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