HR professionals are being given the opportunity to join Hope for Justice on a life-changing trip to Ethiopia.
Nine people are invited to go on a week-long visit to the global anti-trafficking organisation’s projects in Addis Ababa and Hawassa as part of Connecting HR Ethiopia.
Participants will work alongside Hope for Justice’s local leadership team to deliver a professional development programme, presentations, workshops and make a tangible difference in the lives of children in Ethiopia.
Catrin Lewis, who has previously been on a Connecting HR Ethiopia trip, shared about her experience on LinkedIn: “One of the best things I’ve ever done is go to Ethiopia with Hope for Justice and Slave-Free Alliance and it’s open for applications again. HR professionals, this is your call to participate in a seriously awesome skills-based volunteering programme supporting the work of Hope for Justice. It’s hands-on, direct, tangible work that makes a very real difference to the lives of kids in rehabilitation from trafficking, abuse and slavery.”
Ian Pettigrew, a former trustee for Hope for Justice, who is also a part of the Connecting HR group, will be leading the visit between 8th and 16th November. This year, participants will volunteer at Hope for Justice’s Lighthouse aftercare shelter in Addis Ababa and participate in a community outreach project in Wolaita. They will also deliver training workshops and presentations to share their professional skills with Hope for Justice staff, including teachers, social workers, nurses, leaders and country directors.
Ian, who has previously led teams of people on trips to Uganda and Ethiopia, said: “If you don’t know much about modern slavery and human trafficking then you will probably find that this is a much larger issue than you initially thought – it’s a massive problem on a global scale.
“This trip is an opportunity for people who work in professions such as HR, learning and development and employee relations, to visit Ethiopia and to support the work of Hope for Justice. When we’re in-country, we’ll be visiting the Lighthouse centres, working alongside Hope for Justice staff, seeing the community outreach work and supporting that, but probably most importantly, we’ll be using our skills to help staff at Hope for Justice. In previous trips, we’ve talked about leadership skills, coaching skills, resilience, wellbeing, time management, setting and achieving goals. It’s a chance to give because we’re asking people to pay for their own travel and fundraise money for Hope for Justice. It’s such an amazing, life-changing opportunity. Every time I have come back feeling like I’ve been able to give, but I’ve been able to learn as well, through using my skills in a different setting and context, and being able to work with the most amazing, inspiring people.”
Volunteers are asked to commit to a minimum fundraising target of £2,500 towards Hope for Justice’s work.
More information, including costs and itinerary, can be found in the trip brochure: https://hopeforjustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Connecting-HR-2025.pdf
Applications to join Connecting HR Ethiopia close on 6th May 2025.
To register your interest, please contact Britta Lam at britta.lam@hopeforjustice.org.
