Fragmentation to Connection | Reclaiming the Narrative and Navigating the Journey to Healing

by Rosemary Nyambura Kanyi, Partnership and Fundraising Officer — Sauti Salama | A 2026 LDA Program Partner

At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, I stepped into leadership as President of the Women Students Mentorship Association (WOSWA), the welfare organization for students at the University of Nairobi. The body focuses on supporting female students outside the mainstream student political structures led by the Student Organization of Nairobi University (SONU), now the University of Nairobi Students Association (UNSA).

It was during this time that I met Malkia. She later ran as the only female candidate for UNSA representative for the Engineering Campus, in a moment when WOSWA had been actively encouraging more women to step into leadership. That period marked a shift, with more women contesting and, eventually, a woman becoming president.

In these spaces, we were confronted with a growing and difficult reality. Cases of sexual violence among female students were increasing, yet many did not know where to report or how to access support. Institutions often prioritized their image over justice, and the systems that were meant to respond felt unclear and inaccessible. As we engaged with initiatives like the Survivors of Sexual Violence Network, we were supporting others while also navigating our own limited understanding of how these systems worked.

The Weight of Silence

“I was 20, living in Nairobi and in my second year of university, when I experienced an attempted rape at gunpoint about an hour outside Nairobi. I returned to the city carrying the weight of what had happened while trying to grapple with what I was supposed to do next.

I did not report it. I did not go to the hospital. I did not tell anyone. At the time, I did not know what the process looked like. I did not know where to go first, what services existed, or what would happen if I spoke up. I had heard stories about how survivors are treated in police stations and hospitals, and that uncertainty shaped my decision to stay silent. I continued with school, but my concentration dropped. I became more withdrawn and cautious, constantly aware of my surroundings. My mental health shifted in ways I did not have language for at the time.

Years later, I began to notice how common this silence was. Through conversations with friends, both in person and through private messages, I realized that many young women had similar experiences. Some had tried to report and felt dismissed. Others had never spoken about it. What connected us was the same confusion about where to go, who to trust, and how the system worked.” Anonymous Survivor Story

We heard many such traumatic and confused experiences, and when a survivor shared their story in public, other young women began sharing theirs, some for the first time. These moments made it clear that the issue was not only violence, but the absence of clear, connected systems of support.

Through this, Malkia and I built a connection grounded in shared questions. After workshops, events, and conversations that often followed yet another survivor story, we kept returning to the same concern: Why was it so hard to access support, and what could be done differently? These moments of reflection, shaped by both frustration and care, became the starting point of something more intentional.

Malkia John, Executive Director of Sauti Salama, presenting on the intersection of climate change, gender-based violence, and community protection systems during a convening at COP30 in Brazil. The session focused on how climate shocks increase vulnerability to violence and barriers to safety for women and girls. Brazil — November 2025

A Structured Approach to Care

In Kenya, gender-based violence remains widespread, with national data showing that approximately 34% of women have experienced physical violence since the age of 15. Despite the presence of laws, GBV desks, health facilities, and community structures, survivors often face a fragmented system. A survivor may need to move between a hospital for medical care, a police station to report, a court for legal proceedings, and separate providers for psychosocial support. These systems are rarely coordinated, requiring survivors to repeat their experiences multiple times while navigating costs, distance, and stigma.

I was present as the idea of Sauti Salama began to formulate from all the realizations we were having. It started as a collective response, not a solo effort, shaped by shared experiences and conversations. What began as small, informal discussions grew into a structured approach focused on connecting information, services, and people. The work was rooted in a desire to move beyond silence and uncertainty, to create something that made it easier for others to find information, support, and a sense of direction. We dreamed of building a system that would make support more visible, accessible, and continuous.

Sauti Salama was established in 2024 in response to the fragmentation, by focusing on how survivors actually move through reporting & healing systems. The task was to identify where breakdowns occur, whether at the point of accessing information, seeking care, reporting, or following through with support; and to design a model that connects these points into a more coherent pathway.

Members of the Sauti Salama core team during an internal capacity-building and strategic planning retreat focused on organizational systems, program growth, partnerships, and long-term sustainability. 2025

We developed a three-part approach. First, we create access to clear, accurate, and age-appropriate information, especially in digital spaces where many young people first seek answers. Second, we build structured referral pathways that connect survivors to verified legal, mental health, and health service providers, reducing the burden of navigating systems alone. Third, we facilitate community-based engagements, including forums and dialogues, where young people can reflect, share, and understand their options in a supportive environment.

The result is a more connected way of engaging with gender-based violence, where survivors can access information, move through services with greater clarity, and experience a more continuous form of support. The work continues to evolve, with a focus on strengthening digital access and expanding referral networks across different regions.

Digital Connection to Local Impact

Kitui County is located about 160 kilometers east of Nairobi, approximately a 3 to 4-hour drive by road. It is largely rural, with limited access to centralized services. For many young women, accessing support after experiencing violence involves long travel distances, transport costs, and strong social norms that discourage speaking out. Information about available services is often unclear, especially for adolescents.

A 19-year-old young woman from Kitui reached out to Sauti Salama through a digital platform after experiencing violence. She had access to a phone but did not know where to begin. She was unsure whether to go to a hospital, report to the police, or speak to someone in her community. Her main concern was confidentiality and whether seeking help would expose her to stigma.

Women and community members participating in a baseline assessment and community survey discussion under the Sauti Salama Climate and Care Project in Kitui County, focused on climate pressures, unpaid care burdens, safety, and access to services | April 2026.

Through Sauti Salama, she received clear information about her options, including where to access medical care within her county and what services were available. She was connected to a referral pathway that linked her to a local health provider and a legal support contact. Within the first week, she was able to access medical care. Over the following weeks, she continued engaging with support services and began to understand her options more clearly.

As she gained confidence, she began sharing this information informally with peers in her community. These were small, everyday conversations with friends and other young women, where she explained where to go, what to expect, and how to seek help. This allowed information to move beyond one individual into a wider network.

Beyond Awareness into Connection

The result shows how access to clear information and connected pathways can shift how survivors navigate their experiences. The key insight is that when systems are understandable and accessible, individuals are better able to take action, and that knowledge can extend outward into the community. This continues to shape how Sauti Salama designs both digital tools and community engagement approaches.

Since its inception, Sauti Salama has walked alongside over 300 young women and gender-diverse youth through community forums designed as safe, trusted spaces bringing together survivors of violence and those at high risk of GBV in settings such as capacity-building workshops, partner-led events, and existing survivor networks. In these spaces, conversations move beyond awareness into connection, where individuals are listened to, believed, and linked to care.

Young feminist and community organizers participating in the first LeTU convening co-convened by Sauti Salama, focused on movement-building, collective care, collaboration, and sustaining youth-led organizing spaces in Kenya | October 2025

Alongside digital safety workshops and awareness sessions, we have supported referrals to legal and psychosocial services while building a strong, responsive network of pro bono lawyers, therapists, doctors, community champions, NGOs, and state actors working together to ensure survivor-centered support is accessible and continuous.

We are creating a space where women and gender-diverse youth choose to take charge, where there is safety in the community that stands together against systems that have often tried to silence or overlook our experiences. Being part of Sauti Salama means contributing to that shift where we no longer navigate these challenges alone, but work collectively to build systems that are clearer, more responsive, and grounded in the realities of those they are meant to serve.

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