A sisterhood journey with young women

Polycom is a women’s empowerment and girl child welfare organisation, which started in response to the sexual violence and exploitation faced by young girls in the Kibera informal settlement in Nairobi. It aims to empower young women in Kibera informal settlements through access to education, sports activities and sanitation so they are able to manage their lives positively and develop a voice to influence policy and decision makers on issues that affect the lives of girls. We spotlight stories of how Polycom is powering young girls in Kibera and shaping them to be advocates in their own communities.

Anne Agar was born and brought up in Kibera informal settlements. As a young girl, she never got exposure beyond the confines of her environment in Kibera and would later have her debut beyond her community once she finished her secondary school studies. 

She initially engaged with Polycom as a young girl while it was still a self-help group. She sees Polycom as a safe space where young girls can be mentored, supported and get affirmation on their identities.

The work we do at Polycom is very personal to me. I get really encouraged when I see lives transformed and young girls realising their full potential in society.

Anne describes Polycom as an Afro-feminist organisation that has been existence for more than 10 years. The organisation began as a self-help group that grew into a community-based organisation and is now registered as an NGO operating in Nairobi and Homabay counties. 

Polycom has been keen on addressing injustices that young girls face in Kibera. These include sexual harassment, crime, insecurity, access to information in sexual reproductive health and rights, misinformation about Kibera informal settlements and the voices of many young girls being coopted in policy decisions that would impact their lives. 

They target adolescents and teens aged between 12-17 and have tailored specific outreach activities being implemented in secondary schools and primary schools. Furthermore, they also reach out to young women above 18 years and train them to become mentors. 

At Polycom, they execute a wide assortment of empowerment, sports, vocational training and leadership projects. These are anchored on mentorship, cross-learning and journeying with young girls as they navigate real challenges such as pregnancy.  ‘’All projects have an element of psychosocial support to meet the mental health needs of young girls, mentors and members of staff, ‘’ says Anne. 

To influence policy, Polycom’s iconic Talking Boxes project has been a game changer in elevating the voices of young girls by creating a safe space and platform where they can highlight incidences of sexual harassment in schools, at home and society at large.

From this project we generated policy evidence that influenced Members of the Nairobi County Assembly to come up with a policy launched in 2020, which recognized sexual harassment as gender-based violence.

At the community level the Talking Boxes project has influenced behavior change particularly in curbing sexual harassment- which has dropped significantly in schools and public transport within Kibera. ‘’Talking Box came from the idea of giving a platform to young girls, where they could elevate their voices in countering injustices they are facing in the community,’’ says Anne.  2 years ago, they also rescued 15 girls from undergoing female genital mutilation through information from the Talking Boxes. ‘’These were girls that had been earmarked to get the cut. We engaged with the office of the Deputy Public Prosecutor to ensure the rule of law takes effect with arrests and prosecutions,’’ she adds. 

As an organisation Polycom is not immune to real challenges such as duplication of work by similar like-minded organisations. While this may be ideal in bringing real change, the approaches are usually not executed with the original steer and vision of creating a safe space for young girls. ‘’We had Talking Boxes championed by another organisation that failed to provide real time responses and immediate action to the information shared by young girls. This ran the harm of unfortunately having some of the content being publicly exposed on a local radio outlet, ‘’ she says. 

Polycom’s relationship with Womankind began as a sisterhood in empowering young girls in Kibera. They’ve walked the journey in learning, sharing opportunities, mentorship and navigating funding opportunities.

We’ve never felt that we needed to create a persona to fit in with Womankind. They’ve truly been supportive, agile and flexible in working with who we are.

Polycom will be embarking on a new project with Womankind that supports teenage mums with vocational skills training that will be critical in countering gender-based violence and advancing their economic rights. ‘’The project will give teenage mums a second chance in taking charge of their lives by increasing their employability and harnessing skills that will secure their livelihoods. We’ll additionally link them to the affirmative action public fund where they can access funds to start their business,’’ she says.