Boresha Binti Program
We invite partners, donors, and stakeholders to join us in expanding Boresha Binti to 11 new high schools.
Overview
Polycom Girls proudly presents the Boresha Binti program, a transformative initiative designed to empower adolescent girls in Kenya by addressing their intersecting needs through mentorship, resource provision, and safe spaces for expression. Currently active in 50 partner schools, Boresha Binti has proven its impact through innovative tools like the Talking Boxes, which have created a vital outlet for girls to voice their concerns and highlight critical issues such as gender-based violence. We are seeking support to expand this program to 11 additional high schools, scaling our reach with more Talking Boxes and mentors to foster resilience, confidence, and empowerment among young girls.
Program Components
- Mentorship: Trained mentors guide adolescent girls, helping them navigate challenges and build self-esteem.
- Sanitary Packages: Provision of essential hygiene products to ensure girls remain in school with dignity.
- Talking Boxes: Anonymous note-collection systems in schools that allow girls to share concerns, enabling timely interventions and community insights.
- Psychosocial Support: Holistic programs addressing mental and emotional well-being to create a nurturing environment.
Past Success of Talking Boxes
Since their introduction in Kibera and expansion to Kwale, Machakos, and Kitui counties, the Talking Boxes have been a cornerstone of Polycom Girls’ impact:
- Scale of Engagement: Annually, over 3,500 notes are collected from diverse adolescents across partner schools, highlighting the urgent challenges girls face, including sexual violence and harassment.
- Community Impact: The boxes have identified violence hotspots, enabling targeted interventions and community awareness.
- Life-Changing Interventions: The initiative facilitated the rescue of 15 adolescent girls targeted for Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), with subsequent parental reform efforts led by a young FGM survivor, supported by Polycom’s survivor-cantered approach.
- Policy Influence: Insights from Talking Boxes have informed policy evidence reports, contributing to technical working groups across seven counties and advocacy for reforms like the Protection Against Domestic Violence Act.
Why Support Boresha Binti?
- Proven Model: The success of Talking Boxes demonstrates a scalable, impactful approach to addressing gender-based violence and supporting adolescent girls.
- Survivor-Cantered: Our programs, led by survivors and informed by lived realities, ensure authentic and meaningful interventions.
- Community to Global Impact: Boresha Binti’s insights feed into local, national, and global advocacy, including efforts like the Maputo Protocol ratification and universal peer reviews.
- Sustainable Change: By empowering girls with mentorship, resources, and a voice, we foster resilience and break cycles of violence and inequality.
Call To Action
We invite partners, donors, and stakeholders to join us in expanding Boresha Binti to 11 new high schools. Your support will fund additional Talking Boxes, train more mentors, and provide critical resources to empower the next generation of Kenyan girls. Together, we can create safe, nurturing environments where girls thrive, free from violence and full of potential. For more details or to collaborate, please contact Polycom Girls at info@polycomgirls.or.ke