“The Talking Box project has helped me speak up for myself and other girls”

Before the Talking Box project came to her school in 2018, Grace was like most 13 year old girls her age, shy, withdrawn and unable to speak up for herself and other girls in her community. With training and support from Womankind partner, Polycom Development Project (Polycom), Grace is now a Talking Box Ambassador, tasked with encouraging other girls to speak up and break the silence on sexual violence.

“Before I was introduced to Polycom last year, I could not stand and talk in front of people but then one day they came to our school and ran lessons on how to be confident and courageous. After that, when Teacher Chris called us girls together and asked who would volunteer to speak in front of people, I raised my hand. That is how I became the talking box ambassador. Polycom have supported me in my role by always encouraging me to not be afraid and to have confidence in myself and my abilities.

As the talking box ambassador at my school my responsibilities are to encourage girls to use the talking box to share their problems with the mentors. Whether their problems are with a teacher at the school, or at home or with each other. Especially if you have a burning thing that you cannot tell the teachers or your friends, you can write it down and post it in the talking box and then you can be helped

In the past when students had problems, they had to tell the female teachers and only sometimes would they help. The Talking Box project has helped me speak up for myself and other girls at my school. We feel safer with the talking boxes, where girls who are dealing with something can write a note and put it in the box and the mentors respond. We feel like our privacy is respected.”

When she finishes school, Grace wants to be a radio journalist so that she can tell the stories of girls like her in Kibera that speak out, show courage and love themselves.