The Freedom Awards are presented annually by the advocacy group Free the Slaves to remarkable leaders of the international anti-slavery movement. Based in Washington D.C., Free the Slaves is one of the foremost anti-slavery organizations in the world today, working to eradicate slavery and to help former slaves rebuild their lives. The Freedom Awards are underwritten by the Templeton Foundation.

"The Freedom Awards combine the best of two world-changing forces that are central to the Sir John Templeton’s positive vision for the future: the power of noble purpose to inspire lives of great significance, and the central importance of enhancing and expanding individual freedom. In addition, the awards honor the memory of Sir John’s daughter Anne Templeton Zimmerman, who herself was a dedicated and courageous advocate for ending slavery and promoting religious freedom.”

- Kimon Sargeant, Ph.D., VP of Human Sciences, John Templeton Foundation

For more information:
Free the Slaves
514 10th St., NW 7th Floor
Washington DC 20004 USA
(202) 638-1865
info@freetheslaves.net
www.freetheslaves.net

Please visit The Freedom Awards web site for more information.

Prize History

2008 Freedom Award Winners:

The Harriet Tubman Reintegration Award was given to Anywar Ricky Richards of Uganda. A former child soldier, Richards co-founded Friends of Orphans, which is dedicated to helping child soldiers.

Amihan Abueva of the Philippines received the William Wilberforce Leadership Award. In 1991, Abueva co-founded ECPAT International (End Child Prostitution, Child Pornography, and Trafficking of Children for Sexual Purposes). Today ECPAT has a presence in more than 70 countries.

The Brazilian organizations Comissão Pastoral da Terra and Reporter Brasil shared the Harriet Tubman Community Award. Together they have freed thousands from slavery and have harnessed the power of the marketplace to make slaveholding unprofitable.

James Kofi Annan of Ghana, who was sold into slavery at age 6, received the Frederick Douglass Award. In 2003 Annan started Challenging Heights to empower children to avoid slavery through education.

Prizes