Malaika Oringo

Founder, Director - Footprint to Freedom, African Survivor Coalition (ASC)

Malaika Oringo is the Founder of Footprint to Freedom and Director of the African Survivor Coalition (ASC), a globally recognized survivor leader with 15+ years of advocacy and policy reform. She advances survivor-centered anti-trafficking strategies and has shaped international policy at the Global Salvation Army, EU Parliament, UNODC, and UNDP/FAST. Through ASC, she has united 40 survivor leaders from 41 African countries and provides ongoing capacity-building through the African Survivor Academy, fostering collective leadership and amplifying survivor voices across the continent. An expert in business and human rights, financial inclusion, climate resilience, movement-building, and Afrocentric trauma-informed care, Malaika drives systemic change and builds a sustainable legacy of freedom and dignity. Her influence spans policy, research, and global advocacy, with initiatives reaching more than 20,000 people and forging collaborations with over 500 NGOs and law-enforcement agencies worldwide. She has been honored with the Child10 Award, the Queen Silvia of Sweden Award, and the Voice Achiever Award, and serves in the UNODC Women’s Network of Gender Champions Against Human Trafficking and Migrant Smuggling. Recognizing that human trafficking is fueled by illicit financial flows, financial exclusion, and lack of financial literacy, Malaika is a passionate advocate for financial inclusion and economic empowerment as critical tools to disrupt trafficking networks. Drawing on her lived experience as a survivor, she brings a profound understanding of systemic barriers and relentlessly champions survivor-centered solutions that create lasting change.