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We support institutions and structures that foster conditions for individuals to improve the quality of their lives. These conditions include equal access to information, resources and tools, the ability to connect to others with shared interests, and a sense of ownership over outcomes.
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WITNESS
WITNESS
Founded in 1992 by musician and activist Peter Gabriel, WITNESS is a nonprofit organization that empowers people to use video and online technologies to transform personal stories of human rights abuse into powerful tools for justice.

WITNESS works with human rights groups through its Core Partnerships, intensive two- to three-year collaborations that focus on specific issues, and through its Seeding Video Advocacy program, which trains organizations to harness the power of video technology. Most recently, WITNESS launched the Hub, the first global online platform dedicated to human rights media and action. The Hub allows concerned citizens, activists, journalists, researchers, and advocates worldwide to upload human rights related media, create and join communities, and organize a response.

Throughout its history, WITNESS has consistently and creatively used technology in order to promote engagement and create impact. More importantly, WITNESS goes beyond providing technology by training likeminded groups to use video to turn testimony and images into campaigns that truly make a difference.

WITNESS videos have been used to promote grassroots education, corroborate allegations of human rights violations, catalyze new human rights advocacy, and deter further abuse. “Shoot on Sight,” a video focusing on the ongoing Burmese military campaign against internally displaced persons, was featured on YouTube as an Editor’s Pick and was viewed more than 370,000 times during the crucial days of the Burma demonstrations in October 2007. In November 2007, The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences presented the first ever Emmy Humanitarian Award to WITNESS. In the past year, WITNESS videos have been screened at the US Congress and the UN and have been used in coverage by leading media outlets such as the BBC.

Omidyar Network’s support of WITNESS reflects our commitment to organizations that are innovative and forward-thinking and have the potential to scale for maximum impact.  As a lead funder of WITNESS for over four years, Omidyar Network continues to support its work, which ensures that people around the world not only have a voice, but a platform for mobilizing a response and taking action against wrongs.

Get Involved in one of WITNESS´s human rights campaigns today.

Join the Hub, WITNESS´s online global community for human rights media and action.

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