Freely in Hope Announces Historic Transition to Fully Local, Survivor Leadership

Freely in Hope Announces Historic Transition to Fully Local, Survivor Leadership

Founder Nikole Lim steps down after 15 years as organization appoints Fridah Wawira Nyaga as Incoming Executive Director, marking a pivotal shift to African-led governance.

NAIROBI, KENYA & SAN FRANCISCO, CA — Freely in Hope, an international nonprofit dedicated to ending sexual violence through survivor leadership, today announced a landmark leadership transition. After 15 years of leading the organization from its inception, Founder and outgoing Executive Director Nikole Lim is stepping down to make way for a fully localized, survivor-led executive team in Africa.

Fridah Wawira Nyaga, a veteran champion for women’s rights and strategic leader in the fight against sexual abuse across Kenya, officially steps into the role of Executive Director. This transition represents the fulfillment of Freely in Hope’s core theory of change: that those most impacted by sexual violence possess the wisdom, vision, and authority to lead its prevention and response.

What began 15 years ago as a single spark of hope—providing holistic university scholarships to a small cohort of survivors—has grown into a localized movement impacting over 20,000 people annually across 17 regions in Kenya and Zambia. To date, the organization has:

• Provided holistic education for 50 survivor-leaders who now run key initiatives.

• Empowered 346 women and girls through leadership and entrepreneurship skills.

• Equipped over 20,000 children, adults, and professionals with lifesaving body safety and abuse prevention education.

• Reached 7,074 people across 17 regions in Kenya and Zambia in the past year alone.

“My decision to transition out of my role as Executive Director is a joyful, intentional choice to create space for a new chapter—birthed from the vision and insight of local leadership in Kenya, where our story first began,” said Nikole Lim, Founder & Outgoing Executive Director. “I have based my leadership ethos on one belief: survivors have the potential to become the most powerful leaders in our world. Fridah possesses the exact blend of wisdom, local expertise, and vision needed to guide Freely in Hope into its next era of scale and impact.”

Under Wawira’s leadership, Freely in Hope will focus on expanding survivor-led initiatives at scale, including the Malkia Program—which equips young women transitioning out of forced prostitution to become thriving entrepreneurs—and Pendo’s Power, a prevention curriculum empowering educators to stop child sexual abuse across primary schools, churches, and organizations.

“This marks a defining chapter as Freely in Hope deliberately shifts its top leadership to Africa and to the communities most impacted by sexual violence,” said Fridah Wawira Nyaga, Incoming Executive Director. “Witnessing survivors lead the work to end sexual violence is deeply inspiring. From shaping strategic objectives to implementing grassroots programs, our community is actively dismantling the root causes of abuse. I am profoundly honored to lead this next phase of growth.”

The official leadership handoff will be celebrated in San Francisco on October 24, 2026, during Freely in Hope’s 15th Anniversary Gala, based on the theme Where Hope Roots, Dreams Bloom. Supporters, partners, and survivor-leaders from around the world will gather to honor the organization’s legacy and seed its next 15 years of localized impact in survivor care and violence prevention.

To learn more about the transition or support Freely in Hope’s mission, visit freelyinhope.org/gala.