Mission
Violence against women is violence against us. Join the movement now.
One Million Thumbprints (1MT) is a grassroots organization working to stop violence against women and girls in conflict zones. One Million Thumbprints envisions a world where women are free from the fear of violence, oppression, and poverty caused by war. Our strategy is four-fold:
Catalyze voice with women and girls affected by violence in conflict zones;
Fund programs ensuring the survival of women and girls in conflict zones, including safe spaces, trauma support, health services, education and economic opportunity;
Increase resilience in women and girls affected by, or vulnerable to, violence associated with war and conflict through capacity-building and training, and;
Advocate for policy that protects women and girls in conflict zones.
Our story begins with Esperance but belongs to women everywhere. In 2012, Belinda Bauman and a group of women met Esperance while visiting the Democratic of Congo. Esperance watched her husband die at the hand of rebels. She was violently raped and would have died if her sisters hadn’t rescued her. Across a blank sheet of paper, Esperance, who can’t read or write, had someone write the words: “Tell the world.” Then she stamped her thumbprint underneath. Esperance's thumbprint became Belinda’s mandate: violence against women in war is violence against me. One Million Thumbprints invites all of us to join Esperance by helping her, and thousands like her, to stem the tide of violence in tangible ways. One thumbprint becomes a hundred, a thousand, even a million strong.
When you give your thumbprint you join Esperance in fighting one of the most difficult problems we face in the world today— violence against women caught in conflict. One Million Thumbprints began with one thumbprint, and will end with millions. Bur your thumbprint is not just a message of solidarity. Each time we reach a milestone of thumbprints collected—1,000, 5,000, 10,000 and more— your mark will advocate for tangible change by the international community.
When you give a gift you invest in a movement of peacemakers bringing tangible solutions. Our partners lead grassroots programs in three of the most dangerous nations to be a woman: Congo, South Sudan, and Iraq/Syria. Your gift will bring change now even as we advocate for more.