Usikimye Overview
Usikimye means"do not be silent" in Swahili.
Usikimye is an organization working towards ending the prevalence of sexual and gender-based violence (GBV). We exist to ensure that women and girls from Kenya and its environs are safe and free from violence, exploitation, neglect, and abuse and have safe access to high-quality comprehensive responses that are appropriate to their individual needs, vulnerabilities, capacities while at the same time, age and gender-sensitive.
Usikimye has rescued 4385 women and girls, 361 children, and 14 infants in 2020. We have also rescued 71 young men (teenagers) and 9 men. In 2021, Usikimye has coordinated/rescued 486 women and girls from sexual and domestic violence, referred 2009 women and girls as well to other organizations and safe houses. Usikimye gets approximately 150 rescue requests a day on social media, email, and on-call.
Usikimye works through various programs to ensure that we give timely survivor centered and trauma informed support.
Our Programs
GBV Response Helpline
We set up on 08/06 /2021 and in two months, we had received over 1000 calls on GBV
We have set up a toll-free GBV hotline to help the existing one (1195 government partners) so that GBV response will be swift, easy and ensure a progressive change in ending gender-based violence. This program has been supported by ForumCIV’s Swedish Embassy Wajibu wetu program. Over 150 calls in a day are received by Usikimye including calls from other GBV stakeholders for referrals, rescues, and the need for safe houses and on top of needing resources.
GBV Rescues and Response
In the past 7 months, we have rescued 353 survivors .
Usikimye runs 3 safe houses/shelters for survivors ( 2 shelters for women and children and one shelter for men) and ensures that once the survivor is physically and psychologically healthy and stable, she is economically empowered and reintegrated back to society. This is done through their skill transfer programs, entrepreneurship boot camps and job placements for shelter residents, and any referrals we have coordinated with other shelters.
With a 42% spike in domestic violence and rape cases, we decided to set up an emergency safe house called Haven, which takes in women and children for a maximum of 2 weeks with some exemptions of women staying for a month (if injured). The safe house can accommodate 16 women and 4 children, with the flexibility to hold more children if they sleep with their moms.
Inua Mama
A program aiming towards cushioning the teen moms and mother's of teens of our society and improve their livelihood
Usikimye has launched “Inua Jamii Bora,”, a new program aimed at boosting teen moms and mothers of teen mmm’ productivity and earnings, and accelerating their economic recovery as a prevention measure to curb teenage pregnancies as mothers will afford sanitary towels, others will make them as well. This program also curbs the prevalence of domestic abuse as financial independence and authority is central to reducing gender-based violence. The new program will help families save, lend and start businesses. Inua Jamii Bora has identified 1,000 families to begin will and will provide entrepreneurship training and expert guidance on financial management and savings.
Usikimye just opened an office in Soweto this month as well to aid in implementing the Internal Lending, Savings, and Business Initiative for women.
Safehouse
From 2020, Usikimye runs 3 Safe Houses
Usikimye runs 3 safe houses/shelters for survivors ( 2 shelters for women and children and one shelter for men) and ensures that once the survivor is physically and psychologically healthy and stable, she is economically empowered and reintegrated back to society. This is done through their skill transfer programs, entrepreneurship boot camps and job placements for shelter residents, and any referrals we have coordinated with other shelters.
With a 42% spike in domestic violence and rape cases, we decided to set up an emergency safe house called Haven, which takes in women and children for a maximum of 2 weeks with some exemptions of women staying for a month (if injured). The safe house can accommodate 16 women and 4 children, with the flexibility to hold more children if they sleep with their moms.
Feeding Program
We invest in feeding the vulnerable to reduce their susceptibility to abuse and oppression.
Usikimye has a feeding program supported by the Gujarati community in Nairobi, where we feed 600-1000 girls every Wednesday and Friday and provide about 100 children with Uji and bread on Tuesdays and Thursdays in Soweto Slums.
Binti SRHR Program
In 2020, the Media reported teen pregnancy as a shadow pandemic of Covid-19
In 2020, the Guardian among other media reported teen pregnancy as a shadow pandemic of Covid-19. We are curbing the issue of sex for sanitary pads by involving the Kenyan public to donate sanitary pads. Last year, we gave 72,000 girls sanitary pads and this year we have given 4,500 girls access to sanitary towels so far. We just started a program for the girls' parents that involves teaching children issues on sexual reproductive health and rights and GBV for awareness so that they understand what abuse is and how it presents itself.
Post Rescue Support
Medical care and Placement
- Medical emergency care
- Our standard procedure after rescue is always gender violence and recovery medical care. We work with GVRC centers, government social workers, and the police (except in high-risk cases that involve police sexual and physical violence).
- Placement (safe house or relocation)
- After a full medical examination and care especially for rape survivors, we take them to our home, or an alternative home, in cases of special care, or children shelters for children.
COVID-19 GBV Response Psycho-Social Support Program
It offers therapy sessions to survivors of sexual and gender-based violence remotely during this pandemic
From 19th April 2020, we started a psycho-social support program. The COVID 19 GBV therapy support offers therapy sessions to survivors of sexual and gender-based violence remotely during this pandemic. In the last 11 weeks, we have been able to offer therapy services to 382 survivors. We have 34 volunteer therapists. We use:
- LiveChat (chats)
- WhatsApp (texts)
- Google Hangouts (video)
The program is in partnership with AFroIDEA with the support of LiveChat, and OAPPS for WhatsApp. We have also been able to offer 53 referrals to hospitals and safe houses.
Library & Arts Program
Providing literacy and artistic programs for children
The four cornerstones of our organization are connecting, learning, sharing, and collaborating. Our strength lies in our campaign for a societal collective voice towards ending GBV. We aim to bring people together regularly for peer-to-peer exchanges and in annual community convenings co-hosted by grassroots organizations in their respective communities. Our topical roundtables, and events where functional experts and grassroots leaders discuss problems, solutions, and best practices.
We aim to convene workshops, e-Learning offerings, and webinars to build the capacity of grassroots organizations on human-centered design, systems thinking, design thinking, community mobilizing, effective campaigning; and program/project management.
We partner with organizations and engage with topical expertise on themes that are relevant for grassroots organizations. We aim to connect relevant experts to grassroots organizations that require technical support for coaching. mentorship and support.
Our platform enables collective advocacy with other GBV stakeholders. We work with other partners and coalitions to advocate for funding and support of grassroots organizations working on gender justice with a focus on GBV.
We aim to understand the gender justice ecosystem and the needs and approaches of grassroots organizations and the community to foster partnership. To this end, we conduct research and collate & share relevant thematic information to benefit our survivors, inform stakeholders, and improve the sector.
We rescue survivors from domestic abuse situations, rape victims and children abandoned in hostile situations.
Achieving gender equality would mean enhancing the impact and amplify the voices of GBV organizations working on achieving gender justice in Africa, particularly those that are - or that represent – the most vulnerable and underserved constituencies that are deeply embedded in neocolonial pro-violence ideologies that instigate oppressive norms. We do this by providing the communities we serve with the tools and support they need to make the strategic and tactical decisions necessary to achieve their goals while campaigning against sexual and gender-based violence.
We seek to build a movement that is led by and responsive to the needs of diverse individuals and communities. Those most at risk of facing injustice are disproportionately poor and members of racial, ethnic, and cultural minorities. Their active engagement is critical to a strong movement.
The ability to work effectively to protect the rights of LBTQ womxn in a rapidly changing world with diverse challenges requires innovation, creativity, and the ability to rapidly assimilate new ideas and information. We are willing to question the "common wisdom” and to challenge assumptions – our own and our colleagues - as we develop solutions. Our work environment and approach supports and facilitates this kind of learning.
We believe there are opportunities at every level to achieve accountability and gender justice community activism. We believe those opportunities must be seized wherever and whenever they are found. Local victories strengthen work in other communities and amplify the voices of those working in the sector, and achievements in one community serve as models and buoy the efforts of advocates and activists in other communities.
Meet Our Founders
Usikimye was Founded by Njeri Migwi (who won last year's Persons of the year award alongside Odede of Shofco and James Mwangi - Equity Bank's CEO, and Stella (The only woman to be selected for the dangerous woman project by Edinburgh University and youngest consultant IFRC, 2016).
Njeri wa Migwi
Stella Khachina
Stella, an international aid practitioner, reached out to Njeri on social media with ideas of using data to generate innovative interest and support for their work. When they met, Usikimye was created.
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