SwiftLink Rainbow Foundation

SwiftLink Rainbow Foundation

SwiftLink Rainbow Foundation

Empowering LGBTQI Youths Across Nigeria Through Unity, Data, and Digital Inclusion

Submitted by:

Isaac Benjamin Ettah

Founder, SwiftLink Rainbow Foundation

Email: benjaminderian289@gmail.com

Address: No. 1 Barracks Village, Near Edanafa Secondary Commercial School, Ediba, Abi LGA, Cross River State, Nigeria

Phone/WhatsApp: +2348063066953

1. Introduction

I, Isaac Benjamin Ettah, a proudly gay Nigerian, founded SwiftLink Rainbow Foundation in response to the urgent and growing need to protect, unite, and empower LGBTQI youths in Nigeria—especially those facing marginalization, violence, and systemic invisibility.

As someone who has personally endured humiliation, torture, beating, robbery, and emotional abuse, I understand deeply the pain and silence that most LGBTQI youths live in, especially in rural communities like mine. This project was born out of both lived experience and a vision for real change.

2. Problem Statement

In Nigeria, LGBTQI individuals—especially youths—face:

- Widespread social rejection and criminalization

- Lack of access to education, jobs, or legal protection

- No reliable database or support system to identify, track, or support them in times of need

In Nigeria today, through Facebook and other social media platforms, some men pretend to be gay to lure actual gay individuals with the promise of fun, friendship, or sex. When the unsuspecting gay person arrives, they are often ambushed—stripped naked, beaten, tortured, robbed of their belongings, and in extreme cases, disfigured or even killed. I am a living victim of this tactic. I survived it, and that experience fuels my urgent call for an LGBTQI-based digital platform that can help verify and protect community members, prevent these violent setups, and provide emergency help.

The absence of safe platforms for LGBTQI Nigerians, especially youth in remote or underrepresented areas, limits their chances of survival, growth, and self-reliance.

3. Mission of SwiftLink Rainbow Foundation

To identify, unite, and empower LGBTQI youths across Nigeria through data collection, digital connection, legal awareness, and skill-building, while adapting to the restrictive legal and social environment in Nigeria.

4. Our Solution: A Secure LGBTQI Base Social Network App

SwiftLink Rainbow Foundation seeks to develop a privacy-focused mobile and web-based social platform designed specifically for LGBTQI Nigerians, with the following features:

- Private User Registration: Strict security and anonymity

- Community Directory: Identify LGBTQI youths across Nigeria by region

- Legal Help & Human Rights Defender Hub: Showcase verified human rights lawyers, defenders, and allies

- Skills Hub: Access to free training, vocational tools, and mental health resources

- Emergency SOS Feature: Connects users in danger to safe houses or activists

5. Project Objectives

- Create a verified digital database of LGBTQI youths across Nigerian states

- Build and launch the first LGBTQI-safe digital platform in Nigeria

- Link LGBTQI youths to resources, including vocational training, legal support, and peer support groups

- Enable real-time monitoring of human rights violations via app features

- Support LGBTQI-led rural outreaches and data-gathering missions

6. Why Support This Initiative?

- Grassroots Reach: I know where LGBTQI youths are because I live among them. I’ve already started connecting with them discreetly in Cross River State and beyond.

- Lived Experience: This isn’t theory. I’m building what I needed when I was homeless, beaten, and stigmatized.

- Innovation Under Restriction: Our app will be designed to protect user identities, even in a hostile legal environment.

- Impact-Driven: With funding, we can empower LGBTQI youth with real-life skills (hairdressing, tailoring, tech skills, farming, etc.) and create lasting economic independence.

- Transparency Commitment: SwiftLink Rainbow Foundation is committed to replacing the so-called LGBTQI NGOs and Foundations in Nigeria that receive international funding and divert the funds for personal use. We will broadcast live empowerment programs across social media so our donors and the world can witness the impact firsthand.

- Courage and Leadership: I am no longer afraid of anyone humiliating me for my lifestyle or sexual orientation. My goal now is to unite the LGBTQI community in Nigeria for one purpose: survival, empowerment, and pride.

7. Funding Needs

We seek initial seed funding and partnership support to:

- Build and deploy the LGBTQI Social Network App

- Establish a secure digital database system

- Launch skill empowerment programs in 3 pilot communities

- Conduct outreach, training, and sensitization efforts

- Set up a mini crisis response and mental health referral unit

- Build a Large Tuber crops and fish farm to feed Youths during skills training 

- Build a Home for the homeless , rejected, Marginalized LGBTQI Youths for 12 months while giving them skills to enable be self dependent.

Estimated Budget Needed: $30,000 – $50,000 (can be phased)

8. What We Need From You

- Financial support for technology and training

- Partnership or mentoring from human rights networks

- Legal and digital security advisory

- Amplification and credibility through your platform

9. Conclusion

SwiftLink Rainbow Foundation stands ready to bridge the gap between silence and safety for LGBTQI youth in Nigeria. Your support can ignite the first flame of hope in communities where there has been only fear. By partnering with us, you are not just funding an app—you’re creating a movement, a network, and a future for a generation that deserves to live and love freely.

Contact:

Isaac Benjamin Ettah

Email: benjaminderian289@gmail.com

Phone/WhatsApp: +2348063066953

Location: Ediba, Abi LGA, Cross River State, Nigeria