Every year, the Dropbox Foundation acknowledges International Human Rights Day on December 10th — the day that highlights the importance of fundamental human rights and freedoms that each of us, regardless of our race, religion, or background, are entitled to. Human rights are at the core of what the Foundation believes in, and we support partners who work tirelessly year round to further their goals and missions in this area. In 2022, some of our partners helped to reunite refugee families while others advocated for climate justice and worked to provide equal access to healthcare rights. Below, we’ve highlighted some of our partners’ achievements around the world:

Belong To

Belong To’s frontline services for LGBTQ+ young people in Ireland provide spaces for them to come together, be who they are, and receive the support they need. In 2022, Belong To supported young people by providing services in gender identity, coming out, mental health, COVID-19, bullying, and challenges at school. There has been a rise in incidences of hate-speech and hate-crime targeting the LGBTQ+ community in recent years, and Belong To is urgently working to provide more support in these areas.

Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF)

This year, the Environmental Justine Foundation's ocean campaign expanded into Senegal and Cameroon, where they trained and equipped grassroots coastal communities to protect the marine resources. EJF expanded into Brazil and is currently working with a grassroots partner to defend Brazil's Pantanal wetlands, indigenous communities, and biodiversity. As part of the COP27 Climate meeting in Egypt, EJF hosted The People's COP, an online gathering of experts, activists, and voices from communities across the Global South to change the conversation and make governments more accountable.

Human Rights Law Centre

Human Rights Law Centre successfully litigated to reunite refugee families separated by Australia’s challenging immigration policies, helped persuade the federal government to drop the prosecution of human rights whistle-blower Bernard Collaery, secured the decriminalization of abortion in South Australia, and secured a commitment from the new federal government to strengthen Australia’s modern slavery laws.

Check out this video highlighting their work:

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KIND (Kids in Need of Defense)

The number of unaccompanied children arriving in the United States reached a record high in 2022. KIND expanded into Orlando, Florida, El Paso in Texas, Fresno in California, and Northern Virginia. So far, KIND has served 6,163 children in the U.S. with integrated legal and social services support, and 613 of their clients have received permanent legal relief — a success rate of 95%. KIND’s international work to protect children worldwide has also grown, including efforts to respond to the needs of children fleeing the war in Ukraine.

Mockingbird Society

Mockingbird Society’s youth advocates, who have lived experience in foster care and/or homelessness, prompted the Washington State Legislature to pass a historic budget with $23M allocated to preventing and addressing youth and young adult homelessness. Two of Mockingbird's legislative priorities—financial capability for youth in foster care and continued financial assistance to young people aging out of extended foster care—were funded in the final budget.

Outright International

In 2022, Outright International focused on supporting the Ukraine LGBTIQ Emergency Fund and has distributed $1.6M to 39 local LGBTQ+ partners in Ukraine and surrounding countries to deliver humanitarian aid to LGBTQ+ people. The Emergency Fund has provided emergency assistance for those in need of safe shelter, food, medical supplies, financial assistance, transportation, relocation assistance, mental health support, and much more.

Women for Women International (WfWI)

In 2022, Women for Women International served over 26,000 women survivors of war and conflict in eight countries, including over 3,000 in Afghanistan. The conflict response fund helped them adapt quickly to emerging conflicts, and meet the urgent and ongoing needs of women and girls. In March 2022, WfWI partnered with local organizations in Ukraine and Poland to provide women survivors with holistic and comprehensive care, including psychosocial support, counseling services, as well as skill-based training.

We’re so proud of our partners’ work this past year and look forward to highlighting more of their impactful stories and bringing on new partnerships in 2023.