About the Founder
Angus Thomas is a photographer, storyteller and lifetime human rights campaigner. He was first introduced to humanitarian issues after meeting a group of Tibetan refugees in the Himalayas and walking with them to Jivatsal, Choglamsar, the prayer ground of the Dalai Lama in exile.
Following his return to the UK he began to advocate on behalf of Tibetan refugees as a parliamentary liaison officer. He briefed and lobbied MPs and members of the House of Lords later becoming an FTC liaison to then British Foreign Secretary, Robin Cook for the first Sino-EU Summit in 1998. Throughout this time Angus sponsored many orphaned Tibetans through school and into employment.
Angus started the Send Them Home campaign in 2019 after a chance meeting with a young Nigerian woman trafficked to the United Arab Emirates for sexual exploitation.
After rescuing her, he was able to rescue and repatriate a large number of Nigerian women from the same network. He built a network of collaborators and safe houses for the girls to hide in Dubai whilst he secured their exit papers and emergency passports.
The Send Them Home campaign was covered by BBC News, The Victoria Derbyshire Show and BBC Radio. In June 2023 the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists undertook a six-month investigation into sex trafficking in Dubai focussing on the main trafficking ring uncovered by Angus. The investigation was syndicated by Reuters. In July 2023 Angus received an award from NAPTIP as part of its 20th anniversary celebrations for his work with Nigerian victims of sexual exploitation in Dubai.
Angus quickly became an expert on sex trafficking to the UAE and was able to advise and assist NGOs in the UAE and Nigeria. He also held many meetings with hotel chains to discuss the violations of their own human trafficking policies taking place in plain sight.
Rescuing these victims of sex trafficking, supporting them upon their return and his close involvement with the Nigerian National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) gives Angus unique insight into the many aspects of sex trafficking at a deeply personal level. The campaign managed a group WhatsApp chat which enabled all of the survivors to stay in contact both in the UAE and as they navigated their way into life back home. He has adopted one of the young women he rescued from the UAE.
Whilst creating the Hope Education Project in Ghana Angus spent time with both victims and perpetrators of human trafficking, sex workers, victims of labour trafficking and domestic servitude. He has spent extended periods of time in the slums of Accra including Agbogbloshie and Jamestown. On his first visit to Accra in 2020 Angus fell in with a Mamprusi kayaye community of women and girls sleeping rough in Makola Market. Since this time he has sponsored some into business and education and stayed with many families in their home village of Isaisi, Northern Region. After travelling extensively in the North East of Ghana, Angus settled upon Tamale as a base for HEP. The North East is acutely affected by the trafficking of girls for both sexual exploitation and labour, forced marriage, the commoditization and sexual exploitation of girls.
Elsewhere Angus has taught photography skills to young people excluded from school in London, worked as a volunteer at the Women’s Environmental Network and a women’s empowerment collective in New York as well as many stints at various food banks during the COVID pandemic. As a photographer, Angus has always had an eye for the underdog. An avid traveller he’s quick to build relationships and is always in search of the unrepresented and unseen. His photography is both emotive and empathetic and has the great ability to bring out the best in people to create heroic depictions of his subjects.
Angus Thomas is a photographer, storyteller and lifetime human rights campaigner. He was first introduced to humanitarian issues after meeting a group of Tibetan refugees in the Himalayas and walking with them to Jivatsal, Choglamsar, the prayer ground of the Dalai Lama in exile.
Following his return to the UK he began to advocate on behalf of Tibetan refugees as a parliamentary liaison officer. He briefed and lobbied MPs and members of the House of Lords later becoming an FTC liaison to then British Foreign Secretary, Robin Cook for the first Sino-EU Summit in 1998. Throughout this time Angus sponsored many orphaned Tibetans through school and into employment.
Angus started the Send Them Home campaign in 2019 after a chance meeting with a young Nigerian woman trafficked to the United Arab Emirates for sexual exploitation.
After rescuing her, he was able to rescue and repatriate a large number of Nigerian women from the same network. He built a network of collaborators and safe houses for the girls to hide in Dubai whilst he secured their exit papers and emergency passports.
The Send Them Home campaign was covered by BBC News, The Victoria Derbyshire Show and BBC Radio. In June 2023 the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists undertook a six-month investigation into sex trafficking in Dubai focussing on the main trafficking ring uncovered by Angus. The investigation was syndicated by Reuters. In July 2023 Angus received an award from NAPTIP as part of its 20th anniversary celebrations for his work with Nigerian victims of sexual exploitation in Dubai.
Angus quickly became an expert on sex trafficking to the UAE and was able to advise and assist NGOs in the UAE and Nigeria. He also held many meetings with hotel chains to discuss the violations of their own human trafficking policies taking place in plain sight.
Rescuing these victims of sex trafficking, supporting them upon their return and his close involvement with the Nigerian National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) gives Angus unique insight into the many aspects of sex trafficking at a deeply personal level. The campaign managed a group WhatsApp chat which enabled all of the survivors to stay in contact both in the UAE and as they navigated their way into life back home. He has adopted one of the young women he rescued from the UAE.
Whilst creating the Hope Education Project in Ghana Angus spent time with both victims and perpetrators of human trafficking, sex workers, victims of labour trafficking and domestic servitude. He has spent extended periods of time in the slums of Accra including Agbogbloshie and Jamestown. On his first visit to Accra in 2020 Angus fell in with a Mamprusi kayaye community of women and girls sleeping rough in Makola Market. Since this time he has sponsored some into business and education and stayed with many families in their home village of Isaisi, Northern Region. After travelling extensively in the North East of Ghana, Angus settled upon Tamale as a base for HEP. The North East is acutely affected by the trafficking of girls for both sexual exploitation and labour, forced marriage, the commoditization and sexual exploitation of girls.
Elsewhere Angus has taught photography skills to young people excluded from school in London, worked as a volunteer at the Women’s Environmental Network and a women’s empowerment collective in New York as well as many stints at various food banks during the COVID pandemic. As a photographer, Angus has always had an eye for the underdog. An avid traveller he’s quick to build relationships and is always in search of the unrepresented and unseen. His photography is both emotive and empathetic and has the great ability to bring out the best in people to create heroic depictions of his subjects.
ABOUT OUR PROJECTS MANAGER
Mariama Adam is an accomplished Ghanaian project officer, who has made remarkable strides in the educational sector through the lens of community development and empowerment. Her passion lies in creating a meaningful difference in the lives of the youth and women, leveraging her skills in project management to spearhead various high-impact initiatives. Mariama is a dynamic multilingual communicator, fluent in English, Dagbani, and Twi, allowing her to foster deep connections within diverse communities. A dedicated bookworm, an adventurer at heart, and a driven development enthusiast, Mariama brings a unique blend of personal interests that further enrich her work and relationships.
Her role at Theatre for Social Change, where she served as a Project Officer, stands out as a testament to her impressive leadership skills. Mariama’s expertise extended to community identification and selection, training field facilitators, and designing project monitoring and evaluation indicators. Her innate ability to build robust relationships with key partners underscores her commitment to collaboration and shared success. At Camfed Ghana, Mariama took on the responsibilities of a Project Coordinator, managing teams, training educators, and maintaining a strong administrative backbone to ensure project success. This tenure allowed her to further grow as a leader, emphasizing the importance of structure and diligence in project implementation.
Mariama’s capacity to lead was further demonstrated in her role as Executive Director at Child Liberty Foundation, Savelugu. Here, she pioneered project designs using CLF standards, supervised project teams, and contributed to the development of monitoring indicators for evaluation teams. Beyond her primary roles, Mariama has been an active contributor to boards and organizations like the Ghana SRHR Alliance-Youth Advisory Board and Dance4Life Netherlands. With a Bachelor’s degree in Education from the International Open University, Gambia, Mariama is not only an accomplished professional but also a committed lifelong learner. Her blend of experiences, education, and personal interests paints a picture of a deeply engaged expert, passionate about driving positive change in her community.
Mariama Adam is an accomplished Ghanaian project officer, who has made remarkable strides in the educational sector through the lens of community development and empowerment. Her passion lies in creating a meaningful difference in the lives of the youth and women, leveraging her skills in project management to spearhead various high-impact initiatives. Mariama is a dynamic multilingual communicator, fluent in English, Dagbani, and Twi, allowing her to foster deep connections within diverse communities. A dedicated bookworm, an adventurer at heart, and a driven development enthusiast, Mariama brings a unique blend of personal interests that further enrich her work and relationships.
Her role at Theatre for Social Change, where she served as a Project Officer, stands out as a testament to her impressive leadership skills. Mariama’s expertise extended to community identification and selection, training field facilitators, and designing project monitoring and evaluation indicators. Her innate ability to build robust relationships with key partners underscores her commitment to collaboration and shared success. At Camfed Ghana, Mariama took on the responsibilities of a Project Coordinator, managing teams, training educators, and maintaining a strong administrative backbone to ensure project success. This tenure allowed her to further grow as a leader, emphasizing the importance of structure and diligence in project implementation.
Mariama’s capacity to lead was further demonstrated in her role as Executive Director at Child Liberty Foundation, Savelugu. Here, she pioneered project designs using CLF standards, supervised project teams, and contributed to the development of monitoring indicators for evaluation teams. Beyond her primary roles, Mariama has been an active contributor to boards and organizations like the Ghana SRHR Alliance-Youth Advisory Board and Dance4Life Netherlands. With a Bachelor’s degree in Education from the International Open University, Gambia, Mariama is not only an accomplished professional but also a committed lifelong learner. Her blend of experiences, education, and personal interests paints a picture of a deeply engaged expert, passionate about driving positive change in her community.