Building Partnerships Against GBV: FON’s New Allies in Kenya

By: Alejandra Garcia

The FON Project is thrilled to onboard new feminist organizations focused on preventing and combating gender-based violence. This call for applications attracted a diverse and impressive group, making it a challenging selection for our Africa Regional Coordination and Advisory Committee.

As part of FON’s dual focus on due diligence and capacity building, we visited five Kenyan feminist organizations and alliances from August 21st to 30th. These visits allowed us to engage directly with each team, understand their work environment, challenges, strengths, and, most importantly, their dedication to eradicating all forms of GBV. We are honored to partner with them, supporting their journey toward resilience, sustainability, and impact.

One aspect that truly struck me across these organizations was their honesty and openness in sharing information with us. FON’s approach emphasizes participatory feminist subgranting based on trust, aiming to help organizations grow by addressing areas of need. For this to be effective, we seek transparent insights into their priorities and challenges, allowing us to build a genuine partnership. We’re confident that these organizations align perfectly with our mission.

Here are the organizations we’re excited to welcome:

• Feminists in Kenya (FIK)
• Wangu Kanja Foundation (WKF)
• Deaf Empowerment Society of Kenya (DESK)
• Alliance of Sex Workers in Africa (ASWA)
• Reproductive Health Network of Kenya (RHNK)

FON team members Farouck Adosso, Wanjiru Wairimu, and I are grateful for the warm welcome each of these organizations extended to us in their offices.

We are deeply impressed by their year-round work supporting survivors of gender-based violence, advocating for feminist perspectives, expanding GBV responses beyond the legal system, defending the rights of sex workers, empowering women and girls with disabilities, providing sexual and reproductive health services, and offering legal support to SGBV survivors.

FON sincerely thanks each of you for joining us as partners. We commend your daily efforts and are thrilled to embark on this journey toward gender justice together!

FON contributes to the eradication of gender-based violence worldwide through flexible funding. The Feminist Opportunities Now (FON) project aims to strengthen feminist movements by providing grants, particularly to small, unregistered organizations. With a budget of 7 million euros, FON also offers long-term mentoring and tailored training. Additionally, the project includes an action-research component to ensure the expansion and sustainability of these approaches.