THE HARDWIRED STORY

Advancing Human Rights For All Worldwide

Conflict Never Begins With Things We Agree On.

That's why we exist.

Because everyone deserves the universal human right to freedom of thought, conscience, religion or belief – it’s how we’re hardwired.

Hardwired was founded in 2013 to advance legal and social protections for people in countries where religious freedom is most at risk.

Sadly, space for religious freedom as well as related rights to freedom of thought and expression is shrinking globally. Today, nearly 90% of people around the world live under severe restrictions to their religion or beliefs. Vulnerable communities are marginalized and erased. Societies are fracturing along lines of disagreement and debate.

We believe diverse beliefs and opinions can be vibrant points of discussion rather than flash points of conflict. Our education and training programs help people from diverse backgrounds come together to cultivate pluralism and respect for human rights in their communities. We have worked with leaders in more than 30 countries and trained more than 3,000 leaders to overcome their communities’ deepest differences in pursuit of human dignity and peace for all.

Our program’s have established networks of teachers, community leaders, and officials who are advancing human rights and religious freedom for religious and ethnic communities affected by intolerance, violence, and discrimination.

TIMELINE

Making Great Strides for Freedom in the World

Sudan

2013

Launched the first Legal Training Program in Sudan

2014-15

Replicated the training with hundreds of leaders and challenged laws restricting the rights of women and minorities

2020

Leaders worked with the new government to include protections for the rights of women and minorities in the new Constitution

Nepal

2014

Expanded the Legal Training Program in Nepal

2016

Members of Nepal’s Parliament adopted legal protections for freedom of conscience in the new Constitution

Iraq

2015

Expanded the Legal Training

Program in Iraq

2015

Leaders successfully challenged a new national identity card law that would have denied children the right to freedom of conscience

2016

Leaders began working in refugee camps to teach children and their families about the rights of all ethnic and religious groups

2019

Officials in Mosul and the Nineveh Plains invited Hardwired to expand educational programs to help children affected by ISIS reintegrate in their classrooms and communities

Middle East

2015

Launched the first Educational Training

Program in the Middle East

2017

Expanded program in Morocco, Lebanon

and Iraq

2018

Program reached 56 schools and 1,200

schoolchildren, providing the first groundbreaking evidence of how children can overcome trauma, become resilient against extremism, and build respect for girls and minority groups

2020

Expanded Teacher Training programs in Kosovo and Jordan and highlighted impact at a Global Roundtable in partnership with the Kingdom of Morocco

Nigeria

2017

Expanded the Legal Training

Program in Nigeria

2020

Launched the first Muslim-Christian legal teams in northern states to fight back against the culture of impunity, violence and discrimination