Strengthening human rights protection: DefendDefenders and Kobo deliver capacity building for local organizations in Uganda

The efforts of human rights defenders to protect vulnerable groups are all the more critical as human rights crises across the globe continue to escalate and disproportionately affect marginalized communities. Yet in the East and Horn of Africa, human rights organizations face government repression, harassment, arbitrary arrest, and even violence while pursuing their work. To strengthen protection for human rights advocates, DefendDefenders, a regional NGO headquartered in Uganda, aims to reduce the risks of persecution, improve safety strategies, and build local data collection capacities. To advance its mission, DefendDefenders is supporting human rights defenders to digitize monitoring and reporting using KoboToolbox and providing training for organizations across Africa. With access to capacity building opportunities and reliable data technology, DefendDefenders and local organizations can maximize their impact with data-informed protection initiatives and coordinated human rights actions.

Collecting data in the challenging environments in which human rights defenders often operate—such as remote areas with limited internet or ongoing conflict violence—requires innovative data solutions. Based on lessons learned with other data tools, in 2015 DefendDefenders adopted KoboToolbox to digitize human rights activities and develop their monitoring, documenting, and reporting (MDR) tool. In addition to their protection programming, DefendDefenders has also leveraged the KoboToolbox platform for social work, development, humanitarian emergency response, and inter-organizational collaboration.

“In order to transition from traditional paper-based methods for MDR, we needed a cost-effective and easy-to-use digital solution. KoboToolbox stood out from other tools. The user-friendly interface, security measures, and mobile compatibility make it the optimal digital tool for human rights monitors, researchers, and practitioners, regardless of their technical expertise.” - Janvier Hakizimana, DefendDefenders’ Senior Protection Officer & Training Lead and Makerere University PhD Candidate

DefendDefenders is now working to grow local data collection capacities by providing training opportunities and expanding the adoption of their KoboToolbox-based MDR tool. KoboToolbox’s ease of use, adaptability, and reliability enable human rights practitioners to gather accurate data, and the data encryption features are essential for ensuring data security. Integrated with a data monitoring dashboard for real-time visualization and analysis, the MDR tool can be used to quickly identify and act on key trends in the reported data. Access to timely data insights equips human rights defenders to share crucial information with stakeholders and advocate for increased human rights protections.

“I use KoboToolbox because it is a free/libre and open source software (FLOSS). It may be easily used by data collectors with basic computer abilities. When I am stuck in customizing a heavy dataset, I can call in a local computer scientist who can customize it without the need for intervention from KoboToolbox developers.” - Ikoojo Michael, Kampala training workshop participant from Karamoja, Uganda

To support more local organizations to effectively collect data on human rights violations and use the MDR tool to track protection activities, DefendDefenders recently hosted a KoboToolbox training workshop in Kampala for 13 organizations from Uganda and South Sudan. Delivered by Kobo staff experts, the in-person weeklong workshop used a Training of Trainers (ToT) model to prepare participants to lead their own KoboToolbox trainings in the future, supporting locally-led capacity building and human rights programming. Participants completed the online KoboToolbox Essentials Course prior to the training, so the workshop focused on further increasing their skills with advanced sessions on KoboToolbox features and complex form design.

Building on participants’ learnings from the Essentials Course, the workshop offered hands-on training in survey creation using the KoboToolbox Formbuilder and XLSForm, as well as practical exercises in data collection and project management. Participants indicated that the training was highly beneficial, especially for using KoboToolbox to centralize project management efforts and facilitate effective online collaboration. Otto Ben Wilfred, one of the participants, reported that the Transcultural Psychological Organisation (TPO), where he works as a MEAL Manager, has adopted KoboToolbox to phase out paper-based data collection. He also highlighted how using KoboToolbox has significantly enhanced the organization’s monitoring and evaluation activities.

“At Transcultural Psychological Organisation (TPO), we have been using KoboToolbox to manage different projects. TPO has about 40 Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability, and Learning (MEAL) officers who have been using different KoboToolbox tools. I have just finished centralizing the management of these 40 KoboToolbox-enabled monitoring and evaluation tools and assigned permission at different levels for security and confidentiality of the data.” - Otto Ben Wilfred, MEAL Manager at TPO

The workshop concluded with a real-world case study to demonstrate for participants how KoboToolbox can be successfully utilized in different sectors. Amanya Samuel, Chief Warden of the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA), showcased how the versatility of KoboToolbox has facilitated its use for data collection and operations management in wildlife protection. In Kidepo and Mount Elgon National Parks, reliable data tools have been instrumental for wildlife monitoring, conservation initiatives, tourism management, research and administrative activities, as well as community outreach.

By offering training and access to crucial data technology, DefendDefenders is supporting locally-driven capacity building and data-informed human rights protection. To date, DefendDefenders has provided training for over 60 human rights practitioners in the East and Horn of Africa region, empowering them with tools and skills for evidence-based advocacy and protection initiatives. DefendDefenders is now developing a KoboToolbox manual for ToT workshop participants so they can effectively deliver their own training sessions, increasing local data collection capacities even further. Looking ahead, DefendDefenders will continue to work towards greater protection for human rights defenders and strengthening local skills to support their crucial efforts advocating for justice, equality, and fundamental freedoms, especially for those most vulnerable to injustices and human rights violations.