Safaricom and UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency have partnered again to bring the #BongaForLife campaign in 2023. This year, the #BongaForLife campaign calls upon Kenyans to donate their Bonga Points to provide critical medical services, psychosocial counselling, and safe shelter for displaced women and girls who are victims of gender-based violence (GBV)
Refugee women and girls are extremely vulnerable to rape, assault, and exploitation, especially during emergencies that cause mass displacement over a short period.
Most of them are forced to flee their homes because of conflict, gender-based violence, persecution, and natural disasters such as drought and floods. Despite having the right to live free from the threat of gender-based violence and exploitation, unfortunately, when in search of safety, most of them end up being abused.
According to UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, women and girls suffer high levels of gender-based violence due to root causes such as gender inequality. However, men and boys can also be victims of gender-based violence. Gender-based violence is tragically widespread along migration journeys, especially when these take place along irregular routes “due to armed conflict-related poverty, insecurity, and distress.
UNHCR is committed to curbing all forms of gender-based violence through various measures, including working to prevent it before it happens and responding to the needs of all survivors.
It also offers medical treatment, counselling and any other assistance required. This includes vocational training and psychosocial support to gender-based violence survivors.
UNHCR helps refugee children to go to school, which protects them from gender-based violence. They also identify children at risk of such gender-based violence and connect them to appropriate services.
Please donate your Bonga points today to ensure no woman or girl, regardless of nationality, religion, or ethnicity, experiences gender-based violence.
Donate Your Bonga Points
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