Safe Friendly Society is a community-based organization in Rwanda. Its mission is to build the capacity of gay and bisexual men, as well as gender non-conforming people and transwomen.
Same-sex acts have been removed from the Rwandan Penal Code. However, cultural practices and values still prevent social inclusion of gay, bisexual, and transwomen (GBT) in society. This results in various forms of discrimination.
Our funding enables Safe Friendly Society (SFS) to organize monthly self-help meetings, where participants learn how to use photovoice with their smartphones as an advocacy tool. Photovoice is a community-based participatory research method, focused on documenting and reflecting reality.
By taking pictures of these situations, participants learn how to express daily social exclusion. These pictures will be used in cultural performances, which serve as opportunities for different stakeholders to assist GBT persons in showcasing the day-to-day exclusion they experience. SFS will also hold roundtable discussions where socio-cultural situations will be addressed.
