All around the world, people are persecuted for standing up for their and others’ rights and beliefs. We are here to help them at their time of greatest need.
Our vision is a world in which prisoners of conscience and human rights defenders are able to live in safety and with self-determination to uphold and advance human rights – see our charitable objects and theory of change here.
We provide financial and practical support to prisoners of conscience and human rights defenders to help them rebuild their lives in dignity and continue standing up for what they believe in.
Financial Assistance
PoC provides rapid financial assistance by way of grants to ensure immediate relief, resettlement and requalification at the time of greatest need. While grant-making to relieve the immediate hardship and family reunion needs remains central, we are seeking to use the information we hold and our network of contacts to work with beneficiaries so they can recover from their experiences and can achieve economic independence in their new environment.
Practical Assistance
Moving towards more holistic assistance has led us to develop an employability panel, a web-based forum, signposting to other organisations and NGOS who can provide practical support and identifying volunteering opportunities at PoC and elsewhere. For prisoners of conscience who remain in danger and extreme hardship in their countries of origin or in interim countries, we have developed a toolkit to help meet their security, mental health, hardship, campaigning/advocacy and reaching countries of safety needs.
“The PoC grant made a huge difference in my life. It was a stepping stone for me to pursue my dreams…It’s not only about pursuing your dreams, but the ability to be able to engage in life-long ambitions also has healing effects from the trauma that I have experienced before that, so that was one of the things that I value the most; it created a sense of self-worth, a sense of being in a safe space where I can exercise my rights as a dignified human being, so that was one of the things that empowered me the most”
-Hyab, researcher and activist in Eritrea