Building movements for
Just, inclusive and
life-sustaining societies
Meet the defenders
Mateo’s fight for gender recognition and equal marriage is saving lives
Growing up in La Paz, Mateo faced discrimination and a legal system that refused to recognize his identity.
Ainun’s activism turns chaos into change
Ainun grew up on the Indonesian island of Borneo. In her village, electricity was scarce and internet access non-existent. As a result, information about critical issues such as gender-based violence (GBV) never reached her hometown. Only after Ainun moved to Yogyakarta was she able to identify harassment and violence she had witnessed in the past. …
From being excluded to demanding a seat at the table
Growing up in Zimbabwe, Sukoluhle learned early on what it felt like to be treated differently. As a young woman with a disability, she faced discrimination both at school and in her community. Many people believed disability was a curse. Others assumed that people with disabilities could never be leaders, decision-makers or active members of…
Support change-makers
Help us strengthen social justice movements, support change-makers who confront systemic oppression, and throw a lifeline to activists in danger.
Who we are
Hivos is a human rights and social justice organization driven by humanist values. We were founded in 1968, at the height of the global wave of social and political mobilizations in the 1960s that laid the foundation for new progressive civil society movements worldwide.
What we do
Hivos strengthens and resources organizations and movements with the potential to improve a broad range of human, civil, and political rights. In particular, if they are directly at risk of being targeted or if they have the potential to spark popular mobilization for a transformative progressive agenda.
How we work
Our key partners are movements and civil society actors, including NGOs, informal groups, independent media, cultural actors and human rights defenders. We see them not as passive beneficiaries, but as co-creators of change, bringing legitimacy and lived experiences.
Latest developments
Mateo’s fight for gender recognition and equal marriage is saving lives
Growing up in La Paz, Mateo faced discrimination and a legal system that refused to recognize his identity.
EU SEE data supports civil society actors to lead the fight back for fundamental freedoms
EU SEE members predicted an impending perfect storm of conditions that would seriously threaten the infrastructure of global civil society.
Change underway for communities in Colombia
Colombia signed a treaty that gives citizens the right to access environmental information and participate in decision-making.