Elevate Her

13/04/2026

Our ED Juliet Muema Elected to Represent Persons with Disabilities on Kibera Gender Advocacy Network

We are proud to announce that our Executive Director, Juliet Muema, has been elected to represent persons with disabilities on the Kibera Gender Advocacy Network (KGAN).
In this role, Juliet will champion meaningful inclusion across all coordination efforts. As a voting member, she will have an equal voice in shaping referral protocols, strengthening accountability structures, and developing shared tools that work for everyone, especially those often left behind.
Juliet’s mandate on KGAN includes:
• Promoting inclusive systems by ensuring referral tools and coordination spaces are accessible to persons with all types of disabilities
• Advocating for disaggregated data that recognizes disability as a core demographic, not a footnote
• Strengthening accountability by calling out gaps where coordination fails specific populations
• Bridging grassroots OPD knowledge with system-level decision-making
• Fostering collaboration between disability communities and GBV responders
This milestone reflects more than representation, it is a step toward transforming how Kibera responds to gender-based violence by embedding inclusion at every level.
We celebrate Juliet’s leadership and her commitment to ensuring that no one is left behind.

02/04/2026

Elevate Her recently strengthened its capacity in digital safety and gender justice through participation in a comprehensive training on Technology-Facilitated Gender-Based Violence (TFGBV) held at Novotel Nairobi Westlands. The training was organized by the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation, UN Women Kenya, and the Judicial Service Commission. The meeting was facilitated by Mary Wanjiru from UN Women.
The sessions focused on building practical understanding of TFGBV, including forms such as cyberstalking, non-consensual sharing of intimate images, doxxing, deepfakes, and online harassment. The training also unpacked the Kenyan context, highlighting the scale and patterns of abuse, and explored key legal frameworks including the Computer Misuse and Cybercrimes Act 2018, alongside regional and global standards.
A strong emphasis was placed on intersectionality, noting that women with disabilities, women in public life, and younger women face heightened risks, realities that closely reflect the communities Elevate Her serves. Participants also examined existing gaps, including weak enforcement mechanisms, limited data systems, and low digital literacy across justice institutions.
As a result, Elevate Her enhanced its understanding of reporting pathways, built connections with key justice actors, and developed an action plan to integrate digital safety into its programming. This learning will directly inform efforts to strengthen protection and advocacy for women and girls, ensuring that digital safety becomes a core part of advancing gender justice.

31/03/2026

We participated in the Kibera Court Users Committee meeting, which marked two key developments: the welcoming of Hon. Stella Atambo as the new Chief Magistrate, and the introduction of mediation as a new approach for handling misdemeanor cases in the criminal justice system.
The room brought together the people who keep the system running; IPOA, Probation, the Children’s Office, officers from Kenya Prisons Service, CREAW Kenya, OCSs from multiple stations, magistrates, and court administration.
At Elevate Her, we were at that table representing women and girls with disabilities.
A small step. A necessary one. More to be done.

23/03/2026

Elevate Her joined other practitioners, government representatives, CSOs, and community representatives for the Kibera Gender Advocacy Network meeting. The data was telling.

Kibera recorded 166 GBV cases between October and March. Lang'ata had 46. Intimate partner violence made up nearly half. Only 2 cases involved persons with disabilities, clear evidence that GBV Cases among persons with disabilities are still underreported.

The children's office is managing almost 1,900 cases. Courts have over 100 pending cases. but psychosocial support remains patchy. Schools are engaged. Chiefs estimate 80% prevalence in informal settlements.

Here's the tension: awareness campaigns are working. More survivors are reporting. But our response systems are under pressure.

KGAN is trying to fix this coordination gap. We're moving from sharing updates to actually working together, shared tools, clearer referrals, follow-through when cases stall.

The unglamorous truth? Sustainable change means more coordination meetings, more MOUs, more checking that referrals actually happened. Not exciting work. But it's what shifts systems.

Policy is on paper. Implementation is what matters now.

20/03/2026

Eid Mubarak! 🕌🌙
Peace. Joy. Inclusion. Today and always.

13/03/2026

09/03/2026

International Women's Day 2026
Elevate Her joined Kibera Gender Advocacy Network (KGAN) partners at SHOFCO Girls in Kibera to commemorate International Women's Day. The event brought together justice actors, civil society organizations, and community leaders committed to advancing women's rights and access to justice.
Representatives from Kibera Law Courts outlined concrete measures to expedite case resolution, including:
• Reduction of SGBV case processing time to 9 weeks
• Adherence to Section 27 of the Bill of Rights ensuring equality before the law
The Senior Assistant Chief underscored the moral responsibility of the community to actively safeguard and promote the rights of women and girls.

We remain committed to collaborative approaches that strengthen justice systems and empower women and girls with disabilities in our communities.

Happy International Women’s Day!

05/03/2026

Last week, our Executive Director joined other EDs of fellow Women’s Rights Organizations, from across Kenya at Oxfam's Transformative Leadership Workshop. The focus: what it actually takes to steer an organization through funding shifts, political pressure, and shrinking civic space without losing the plot.
We discussed governance and financial oversight, the unglamorous work that keeps the lights on. We explored resilience beyond the next grant cycle. And we got real about backlash and risk.
The peer exchange with Bina Maseno of Badili Africa and Dr. Judy Matu of AWAK was the highlight, practical strategies, not theory. Strategic fundraising. Partnerships that actually work. Building institutions that don't crumble when the project funding ends.
The kicker: every ED left with one personal commitment and one structural change to make before year-end. No vague intentions. Specific actions. We'll review progress together.
Elevate Her remains committed to building not just programs, but an organization that lasts.

19/02/2026

TBT| Promoting Inclusion Through Disability Assessment & Registration

Elevate Her conducted a successful Disability Assessment and Registration Outreach in partnership with the National Council for Persons with Disabilities (NCPWD) and the Nairobi City County Government, bringing essential services closer to persons with disabilities in underserved communities.
The outreach was held at Edmund Rice Center Langata and Babadogo Primary School, reaching 283 participants.
Through the activity, participants were supported to:
✅ Access disability assessment services within their communities
✅ Complete disability registration processes for official recognition
✅ Receive information on disability rights, entitlements, and available services
✅ Overcome mobility, stigma, and information barriers that often limit access to registration
This initiative reflects Elevate Her’s commitment to advancing access to health, dignity, and inclusion for persons with disabilities in urban informal settlements. By working collaboratively with government institutions and community stakeholders, the programme helped bridge the gap between policy and lived realities.
Recognition is the first step toward inclusion, registration opens the door to rights, protection, and opportunity.

09/02/2026

The Chilling Reality of Online Violence Against Women: A New UN Women Report Sounds the Alarm

A groundbreaking new report from UN Women, “Tipping Point,” reveals a disturbing global trend that hits close to home here in Kenya. The escalation of online violence against women in the public sphere is not just “virtual” abuse, it’s a direct threat to their safety, freedom of expression, and our democracy.

The data is stark and serves as an urgent wake-up call for Kenya’s vibrant digital community:
70% of women human rights defenders, activists, and journalists globally have experienced online violence. In Kenya, we see this daily with our brave women journalists reporting on governance and activists campaigning against GBV, who are targeted with coordinated attacks designed to silence them.
41% of these women reported that online violence escalated to offline attacks, stalking, or physical harassment. This is the most dangerous finding. The threats made on X (Twitter), Facebook, and TikTok are spilling into our streets and homes. The abuse is not virtual; the harm is real.
24% have experienced AI-assisted online violence. As the “Silicon Savannah,” Kenya is at the forefront of technological adoption. This new frontier includes the weaponization of AI for deepfakes and sophisticated disinformation campaigns, making it easier than ever to tarnish reputations and incite hate.

Here in Kenya, this report isn’t just data; it’s the lived experience of many. It’s the female politician facing gendered smear campaigns during elections, the human rights lawyer doxxed for taking on a sensitive case, and the content creator trolled for speaking out on social issues.

This is a tipping point. We must move from awareness to action.

What can we do?
Tech Platforms: Must be held accountable for moderating hate and protecting users, especially women in public life.
Policy Makers: We need to strengthen and enforce laws like the Computer Misuse and Cybercrimes Act to protect victims, not silence them.
All of Us: We must actively call out online abuse, amplify the voices of those targeted, and create a safer digital public square for everyone.

As we commend UN Women for this timely and important report, we also note the need for future evidence and responses to more explicitly reflect the experiences of women and girls with disabilities, who often face compounded risks of online and offline violence. As an OPD championing the rights of women and girls with disabilities, Elevate Her sees this as a vital opportunity to deepen intersectional approaches and ensure truly inclusive digital safety and GBV prevention efforts.

Let’s use our connectedness to build a safer, more inclusive digital Kenya.
🔗 Link to the Report: https://lnkd.in/gPRnkp6Z

This link will take you to a page that’s not on LinkedIn

07/02/2026

International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Ge***al Mutilation

Yesterday, Elevate Her joined the world in commemorating the International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Ge***al Mutilation under the theme “Towards 2030: No End to FGM Without Sustained Commitment and Investment.”

At Elevate Her, we reaffirmed our commitment to ending FGM as a harmful practice and a grave human rights violation, one that disproportionately affects girls and women with disabilities who are too often left out of prevention and response efforts. Ending FGM requires sustained political will, adequate investment, survivor-centred services, and community-led action that challenges harmful norms.

As we move toward 2030, the call is clear: commitment must be continuous, inclusive, and backed by action.

05/02/2026

TBT | Unmasking Digital Violence

Today, we reflect on a powerful moment in our ongoing advocacy for safer, more inclusive digital spaces for women and girls with disabilities.

“Technology-facilitated GBV involving people with disabilities is often not reported, limiting efforts to address it.”
— Juliet Muema, Executive Director, Elevate Her

This reality continues to shape our work. Too many women with disabilities experience online harassment, impersonation, stalking, and abuse, yet their voices remain unheard due to accessibility barriers, stigma, and persistent systemic gaps.

At Elevate Her, we remain committed to amplifying lived experiences, exposing the gaps that enable digital violence, and pushing for concrete, survivor-centred solutions. Women’s safety online is not optional, it is a right. And protecting it requires all of
us to show up, speak out, and act.