The first phase of the one year intervention was geared towards, Building synergies of Religious Institutes against Human Trafficking and Modern Slavery in Uganda. The intervention was initiated under the auspices of the Association of the Religious in Uganda (ARU) and /or under her arm of TALITHA KUM. The intervention sought to build synergies of the religious institutes in Uganda coming together to have concerted efforts in combating the vice of human trafficking and modern slavery in Uganda. The intervention was also intended to create awareness about the prevalence of human trafficking /modern slavery associated with other human rights abuses in Uganda. Religious Institutes have an added advantage of naturally and deep imbedded relationship in getting involved in the affairs of the communities they serve. However, the religious has been for long ignorant about the human rights abuses that are inflicted on the people they serve while for the religious have been concentrating on their spiritual aspects only without focusing on the increasing vices that are eroding the sense of the human dignity of the people they serve. The intervention intended to create the awareness among the religious institutes through their members whose capacities have been built especially in raising awareness about the vice of combating the vice of human trafficking in Uganda through the four ecclesiastical provinces. The intervention also intended to build the capacity of members from different religious institutes and other stakeholders in the wider understanding of the manifestation and prevalence of human trafficking its manifestations imbedded in forms of; forced labor, child labor, child sacrifice, commercial sex workers, forced domestic labors and/or victims of domestic violence. Given these forms of exploitation against humanity, the synergized efforts were required especially the Religious Institutes to cause change for the survival of the future generations. The intervention targeted at least 30 religious institutes to be identified and recruited to add to the existing 6 institutes that were already carrying out work in the area of combating the vice of human trafficking. The 30 religious institutes were to be recruited from 97 registered institutes with the Association of the Religious in Uganda (ARU).

The objectives of the Network include; To create awareness among the religious institutes about human trafficking and modern slavery in Uganda. To build the capacity of the religious institutes members of ARU in combating the crime of human trafficking and modern slavery in Uganda. To operationalize St. Bakhita Anti-Human Trafficking Uganda Ltd at the national level. Building structures that will replicate the works at the diocese level To create functional teams from various religious communities in each diocese working together to combat the vice of human trafficking.To amplify participation in prevention, prosecution, protection and rehabilitating survivors of human trafficking