In order to document, analyze and develop comprehensive frameworks for tackling human rights violations, we need your help. Advocating for legal and policy reforms at national, regional and international levels requires producing evidence-based policy recommendations from data collection, satellite analysis and crowdsourcing. Please fill in our questionnaire to help us gather qualitative information. Thank You.
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To effectively investigate and combat farm attacks and murders. there's a critical need for comprehensive incident reporting. This questionnaire provides a structured framework for reporting farm attacks and murders in South Africa, designed to capture essential information required for investigation and prosecution while adhering to the National Rural Safety Strategy (NRSS) definitions and procedures.
Centres on the utility, significance, and potential impact of research and analysis
Encompasses a range of research attributes, including significance, utility, timeliness, actionability, practicality, applicability, feasibility, innovation, adaptability, and impact
Mandates that research teams clearly define the scope and objectives of their work to ensure its timeliness, feasibility, and utility
May necessitate adjustments to research plans -such as research questions, data sources, or methodologies- in response to new insights or evolving circumstances
In brief, we aim to shape and advance effective, timely solutions to critical Policy challenges
Emphasises the pursuit of robust, replicable scientific inquiry to uncover evidence-based insights that support informed decision-making,foster stakeholder consensus, and drive effective implementation
Is anchored by a well-defined purpose and carefully crafted research questions.Rigorous research produces findings derived from sound, contextually appropriate methodologies, which may include established techniques, innovative approaches, or experimental designs. Conclusions and recommendations are logically derived from these findings.
Encompasses a range of research attributes, including validity, reliability, credibility, systematicity, creativity, persuasiveness m, logical coherence, cutting-edge innovation, authority, robustness, replicability, defensibility, and adaptability
Mandates that LVS researchers remain abreast of, and potentially contribute to, advancements jn theoretical frameworks, methodologies, and data sources.
In brief, we conduct impartial analyses rooted in a clear purpose, employing rigorous logic and the most suitable theories, methods, and data sources available
Emphasises the thorough, effective, and appropriate documentation and dissemination of the research process (including design, development, execution, and support) and its outcomes (findings and recommendations)
Encompasses key research attributes, such as accountability, comprehensive reporting, replicability, and data accessibility
Mandates that research teams clearly articulate and document their purpose, scope, funding sources, assumptions, methodologies, data, results, limitations, findings, and policy recommendations to the fullest extent practicable, addressing the needs of those who oversee, evaluate, utilise, replicate, or are impacted by the research.
May be enhanced through supplementary materials, including research land, protocols, tools, code, datasets, reports, presentations, infographics, translations and videos
Requires LVS documents and products to have a defined purpose, be accessible, easily discoverable, and tailored to meet the needs of their intended audiences
In brief, we communicate our research processes, analyses, findings, and recommendations in a manner that is clear, accessible, and actionable
Emphasises the integration and balanced consideration of diverse, significant perspectives throughout the research process to ensure objective and equitable representation
Fosters awareness of the comprehensive range of scientific and policy viewpoints on multifaceted issues
Guarantees that these diverse perspectives are fairly addressed throughout the research process, accurately represented, and evaluated based on evidence
Incorporates perspectives from individuals with varied backgrounds and expertise within research teams and through collaboration with diverse reviewers, partners and stakeholders
Strengthens research teams’ capacity to comprehend the policy context and enhance the applicability of findings and conclusions
In brief, we systematically integrate all relevant perspectives across the research process
Enhances comprehension of the problem and it’s context, while strengthening research design
Guides the evaluation of potential solutions and facilitates effective implementation
Entails incorporating diverse, relevant perspectives to promote rigorous, mitigate unintended bias in research design, execution, and dissemination, and ensure findings are pertinent and clear to key stakeholders
Arrives to make LVS research accessible, where feasible, to a wide array of stakeholders beyond sponsors, decision-makers, or implementers
Occurs across the research life cycle through formal and informal methods, including discussions, interviews, focus groups, surveys, advisory panels, presentations, and community engagements
In brief, we actively collaborate with stakeholders vested in the conduct, interpretation, and utilisation of our research.
You are invited to contribute at your discretion, and we deeply appreciate your support. Together, we can make a meaningful impact. To join us or learn more, please contact us at [email protected]
The Liberty Values & Strategy Foundation: A Legacy Reborn
June 11, 2025 – 249 years ago, on this very date, history pivoted on the axis of human possibility.
June 11, 1776. The Continental Congress, meeting in the hallowed chambers of Independence Hall, appointed five extraordinary visionaries to a committee that would forever alter the trajectory of human civilization. Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman, and Robert R. Livingston—men of profound intellect and unwavering conviction—were entrusted with the sacred task of drafting the Declaration of Independence. In that momentous decision, they established not merely a political document, but a philosophical foundation upon which the principles of liberty, self-governance, and human dignity would rest for generations yet unborn.
Today, We Stand at Another Threshold
On June 11, 2025—exactly 249 years later—the Liberty Values & Strategy Foundation emerges to carry forward the luminous torch of those founding principles into the complexities of our modern age. Just as Jefferson and his fellow committee members understood that true independence required both visionary thinking and strategic action, the Liberty Values & Strategy Foundation recognizes that preserving and advancing liberty in the 21st century demands sophisticated analysis, bold leadership, and unwavering commitment to the fundamental values that define human flourishing.
A Foundation Built on Timeless Principles
The parallels between then and now are profound:
Then, Five visionary leaders gathered to articulate the philosophical foundations of a new nation. Now, A new foundation emerges to advance strategic thinking on liberty’s most pressing challenges
Then, The Committee of Five understood that ideas must be coupled with practical wisdom. Now, The Liberty Values & Strategy Foundation bridges timeless principles with contemporary strategic insight
Then, They recognized that liberty requires constant vigilance and thoughtful stewardship. Now, We commit to that same vigilance in an increasingly complex world
In the shadow of Ethiopia’s Omo Valley, where the Mursi people etch resilience into their skin through lip plates and the Hamar tribe’s bull-jumping rites forge indomitable courage, a new chapter in the global fight for liberty begins. The Liberty Values & Strategy Foundation (LVS Foundation) launches today as a vanguard of 21st-century research, merging scholarly rigor with actionable strategy through its revolutionary Cohesive Research Ecosystem (CORE). Founded by Dr. Fundji Benedict—a scholar whose lineage intertwines Afrikaner grit, Ethiopian sovereignty, and Jewish perseverance—this institution embodies a legacy of defiance inherited from history’s most audacious truth-seekers, from Zora Neale Hurston to the warrior women of Ethiopia. This duality—scholarship as sword and shield—mirrors Dr. Benedict’s own journey. For 10+ years, she navigated bureaucratic inertia and geopolitical minefields, her resolve hardened by the Ethiopian women warriors who once defied Italian fascism.
I. The Hurston Imperative: Truth as a Weapon
Zora Neale Hurston, the Harlem Renaissance icon who “broke through racial barriers” and declared, “Truth is a letter from courage,” is the Foundation’s spiritual lodestar. Like Hurston, who documented Black life under Jim Crow with unflinching authenticity, the LVS Foundation wields research as both shield and scalpel. BRAVE, its human rights arm, intervenes in crises with the precision Hurston brought to folklore studies, transforming marginalized voices into policy. When Somali warlords displace the Gabra people or Ethiopian officials seize tribal lands, BRAVE acts with the urgency of Hurston’s anthropological missions, ensuring that “truth-telling becomes liberation”.
Dr. Benedict’s decade-long journey mirrors Hurston’s defiance. “My ancestors did not bow. I will not bow,” she asserts, her cadence echoing the Omo Valley’s ceremonial chants. This ethos permeates the Foundation’s CORE model, where BRAVE, COMPASS, and STRIDE operate in symphonic unity. “CORE is our answer to siloed thinking,” Dr. Benedict explains. “Through this cohesive ecosystem, BRAVE, COMPASS, and STRIDE work in concert—breaking down
barriers between academic research, fieldwork, and strategic action. This enables us to develop innovative solutions and stride toward lasting change”.
II. Necropolitics and the Battle for Human Dignity
The Foundation’s research agenda confronts necropolitics—a term coined by Achille Mbembe to describe regimes that decide “who may live and who must die”. In Somalia, where Al-Shabaab turns villages into killing fields, and South Africa, where post-apartheid politics increasingly marginalize minorities, the LVS Foundation exposes systemic dehumanization. STRIDE, now correctly positioned as the bulwark against terrorism and antisemitism, dismantles networks fueled by Qatari financing and ideological venom. COMPASS, the geopolitical hub, maps Qatar’s $6 billion influence campaigns, revealing how Doha’s alliances with Islamist groups destabilize democracies from Sahel to Paris, France.
“Qatar hides behind diplomatic immunity while funding mass murder,” Dr. Benedict states, citing Israeli intelligence linking Qatari funds to Hamas’s October 7 massacre. Meanwhile, BRAVE echoes fieldwork in Ethiopia’s Babille Elephant Sanctuary—where Dr. Benedict has studied bee barriers to resolve human-wildlife conflict—and epitomizes the Foundation’s ethos: “We turned conflict into cooperation, just as our ancestors turned adversity into art”.
III. The Ethiopian Woman Warrior: A Blueprint for Ferocity
The Foundation’s DNA is steeped in the legacy of Ethiopian women who weaponized intellect and audacity. Woizero Shewareged Gedle, who orchestrated prison breaks and ammunition heist during Italy’s occupation, finds her echo in STRIDE’s Intelligence operations. She struck an Italian officer mid-interrogation and declared, “You may imprison me, but you will not insult me”. Her defiance lives in STRIDE’s intelligence operations and BRAVE’s land-rights advocacy for all minorities like the Hamar, who endure ritual whipping to cement bonds of loyalty – a fight as visceral as it is cerebral -, but also the tribes or the Afrikaners in South Africa who face expropriation of their property without compensation. Dr. Benedict’s leadership rejects the false binary between academia and activism: “Research is not abstraction—it is alchemy. We transmute data into justice”.
IV. Conclusion: Lighting the Torch for Generations
The Liberty Values & Strategy Foundation stands as more than an institution—it is a living testament to the unyielding spirit of those who refuse to let darkness prevail. In a world where necropolitics reduces human lives to chess pieces and terrorism metastasizes in the shadows, the Foundation’s CORE research ecosystem illuminates a different path: one where rigorous scholarship becomes the catalyst for liberation. Every report published, every policy advocated, and every community defended is a reaffirmation of democracy’s most sacred tenet—that every life holds irreducible value.
Dr. Benedict’s vision transcends academic abstraction: BRAVE’s defense of pastoralist communities, COMPASS’s geopolitical cartography, and STRIDE’s dismantling of hate networks are not isolated acts but threads in a tapestry woven with the same audacity that Zora Neale Hurston brought to anthropology and Woizero Shewareged Gedle to resistance. The Foundation’s decade-long gestation mirrors the patience of Ethiopian honey hunters who wait years for the perfect hive—a reminder that enduring change demands both urgency and perseverance.
As a beacon for liberty, the LVS Foundation invites collaboration across borders and disciplines. To governments grappling with Qatar’s influence campaigns, to activists documenting human rights abuses, to citizens weary of complacency, the Foundation offers not just data but a blueprint for courage and defiance. Its research ecosystem—dynamic, interconnected, and unapologetically action-oriented—proves that knowledge, when wielded with integrity, can dismantle even the most entrenched systems of oppression.
The Torch Burns Bright
Over the past decade, Dr Benedict has combined rigorous academic work with on-the-ground engagement, building the knowledge and networks required to create this institution. Now, as the Foundation opens its doors, it stands as a testament to principled scholarship and action. In the legacy of Zora Neale Hurston’s fearless truth-telling, the LVS Foundation embraces the
power of knowledge guided by values. Crucially, the LVS Foundation maintains strict independence from any partisan or governmental funding. This non-partisanship is a cornerstone of its identity. “From day one, we refuse to be anyone’s instrument – no government, no party. Our independence guarantees that our voice remains unbiased and our research uncompromised,” Dr. Benedict emphasizes. “We owe that to the truth we seek. Hurston taught us about authenticity and courage; in that spirit, we will not pander or censor ourselves. We will ask the hard questions and pursue answers – wherever they lead – in service of liberty and human dignity.”
The revolution Dr. Benedict ignited is not hers alone. It belongs to every individual who dares to believe that democracy can be defended, that integrity can be restored, and that liberty is worth every sacrifice. Zora Neale Hurston once wrote, “There are years that ask questions and years that answer.” For the LVS Foundation, this is the year of answers and a responsibility to honor Hurston’s legacy by ensuring truth is not just spoken but lived. Those seeking to support Liberty Values & Strategy Foundation—through funding, fieldwork, or amplification—are welcomed at [email protected] or [email protected].
