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{{Infobox organization
| name = Abayima, Inc.
| image =
| type = [[501(c)(3)]]
| tax_id = 461802654
| founded_date = 2011
| founder = [[Jon Gosier]]
| location = [[Kampala]], [[Uganda]]
| coordinates =
| origins = [[Mobile phone|Mobile]], [[Surveillance]]
| key_people = [[Jon Gosier]]
| area_served = [[World]]
| focus = [[Activism]], [[Human rights]]
| method = [[SIM card]]s
| num_employees = 3
| owner = Abayima, Inc.
| former name =
| homepage = {{URL|abayima.com}}
| dissolved =
| footnotes =
}}
'''Abayima''' is a non-profit organization that was founded to support citizens when their voices are threatened in the form of attacks on communications infrastructure.
Abayima (the [[Luganda]] word for "Guardian") was inspired by the plight of activists in countries like Uganda, Libya, Syria, and Egypt where authorities have been known to sever (or monitor) citizen access to the internet and mobile communication.<ref>{{cite news|last=Robertson|first=Jordan|title=The day part of the Internet died: Egypt goes dark|url=http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/jan/28/day-part-internet-died-egypt-goes-dark/|newspaper=The Washington Times}}</ref> During these 'internet black-outs', Abayima provides solutions that allow citizens and journalists to communicate in spite of such measures. In 2011 the project was piloted by [[Jon Gosier]] and his colleagues when government authorities in Uganda began intercepting SMS messages, a popular means for communicating in developing countries during times of crisis.<ref>{{cite web|title=A Brief History of the Abayima Project|url=http://blog.appfrica.com/2013/01/17/a-brief-history-of-the-abayima-project/|publisher=Appfrica.com|access-date=2013-01-24|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130124071203/http://blog.appfrica.com/2013/01/17/a-brief-history-of-the-abayima-project/|archive-date=2013-01-24|url-status=dead|df=}}</ref>
==Products==
Open SIM Kit (OSK) is an open source software for editing the content of SIM cards. There are many different mobile phones and many different SIM cards on the market; the project attempts to solve this problem by offering an intuitive tool for modifying the contents of SIM cards.<ref>{{cite web|title=TED Fellow Jon Gosier Wins Knight News Challenge Mobile Grant|url=http://blog.ted.com/2013/01/18/ted-fellow-jon-gosier-wins-knight-news-challenge-mobile-grant/|publisher=TED.com}}</ref>
==Awards==
Abayima was awarded $150,000 from the [[Knight Foundation]] in the 2013 Knight News Challenge.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.fastcoexist.com/1681223/this-app-lets-activists-pass-around-information-when-the-government-is-watching|title=This App Lets Activists Pass Around Information When the Government is Watching|newspaper=FastCompany}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.slate.com/blogs/future_tense/2013/01/22/knight_news_challenge_media_s_winning_apps.html|title=Winners of the Knight News Challenge: Media Focus on Education, Human Rights|newspaper=Slate.com}}</ref> Previously, in 2011, the project received a £15,000 grant from Indigo Trust.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://indigotrust.wordpress.com/grants-awarded/|title=Indigo Trust Grants Awarded|newspaper=Indigo Trust}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Sutter|first=John|title=The cell phone revolutionary|url=http://www.cnn.com/2013/01/31/opinion/sutter-sim-revolutionary-abayima/index.html|accessdate=15 October 2013|work=CNN|date=31 January 2013}}</ref>
==References==
{{Reflist}}
[[Category:Human rights organisations based in Uganda]]
[[Category:Organizations established in 2011]]