2025 UN SDG Action Awards Resilience finalist Footprint to Freedom, founded by Malaika Oringo, fights human trafficking through grassroots interventions in Uganda, Kenya, and Rwanda. The survivor-led organization proves that resilience is not only about recovery—it is about empowerment, protection, and justice.
Women and girls remain disproportionately affected by the rise in trafficking in persons, accounting for 61 per cent of identified victims in 2022. At the same time, African citizens represent 31 per cent of detected cross-border trafficking flows, underscoring the persistent vulnerabilities faced across the continent.
For Malaika, these figures are deeply personal. As a survivor of human trafficking, she transformed her lived experience into leadership—founding Footprint to Freedom to ensure survivors are no longer sidelined but placed at the center of solutions. The organization’s trauma-informed model integrates leadership training, economic empowerment, and advocacy—turning painful pasts into powerful platforms for change.
Resilience Through Survivor Leadership
Footprint to Freedom’s impact is already remarkable: To date, it has reached more than 5.9 million people and established more than 500 partnerships across Africa and Europe. The team has launched the African Survivor Coalition to establish survivor-led networks across all 54 African countries.
Through diverse programs, Footprint to Freedom tackles trafficking at its roots. The organization raises awareness in schools and communities, equips families and children with knowledge and tools to stay safe, and provides holistic support for survivors—ranging from mental health care to long-term mentorship.
Its African Survivor Leadership Academy further strengthens resilience by offering skills training and economic opportunities that enable survivors not just to recover, but to thrive.
Lead. Empower. End Exploitation.
Footprint to Freedom calls on governments, donors, and changemakers to invest in survivor-led resilience. Every survivor empowered is a step toward dismantling trafficking at its roots and building a world free from exploitation.
From enduring exploitation to driving global reform, Footprint to Freedom proves that resilience is not about survival alone—it is about leading the way to freedom.
