03/02/2026
When Safety Is a Luxury: Supporting Survivors of SGBV in Korogocho
"SIO UJI TU" is a word coined from the many activities we do under our feeding program in Korogocho. KOCH HOPE CBO continues to walk alongside survivors ensuring that support goes beyond meals to include safety and dignity with a human rights approach.We nurture their souls, minds while advocating for their holistic growth.
Additionally, we go a step further to identify underlying issues so we can offer and extend our help to ensure the children are in the best shape and form to attend and focus while in school. Recently, we have had a very unsettling situation where one of our beneficiaries is a victim. Rosie is a young girl under the care of her elder sister, referred to here as Guardian A. Guardian A was forced into responsibility at a young age after losing their mother to SGBV. Today, she carries this burden alone—raising Rosie alongside her own two children in a single-room shanty within the slums.
Guardian A has been subjected to repeated threats and violent attacks by an individual who assaulted her with a knife, forcing her to seek urgent medical attention. Despite formally reporting the matter, the response from the security system has been deeply troubling. At one point, she was instructed to “call the police when she sees the perpetrator”—a request that places her life at even greater risk. As a result, Guardian A barely sleeps. Nights are spent in fear—hiding in shared bathrooms, abandoning her single room whenever danger draws near.
For many women in informal settlements, this is the harsh reality: safety is uncertain, and protection often feels unreachable. Through its SGBV program, Koch Hope CBO has stood by Guardian A, helping her navigate the exhausting bureaucracy of the security system, accompanying her through reporting processes, and seeking alternative support whenever official responses are delayed.
At the same time, the organization continues to support her family through the “Uji sio Uji tu” feeding program, ensuring her children do not go hungry amid the chaos. The trauma has also deeply affected Rosie, leading to her temporary relocation to a boarding primary