Monday 16 November 2015
PRESS RELEASE: Kenyan girl-led charity wins international award for outstanding work
Local charity Boxgirls Kenya is one of just 20 organisations from around the world to receive an inaugural With and For Girls Award.
The With and For Girls Awards is a global initiative to identify and support strong local organisations working with and for girls.
The charity – based in Nairobi, Kenya – is recognised for its work to create positive change by using sports to challenge stereotypes related to gender and sport.
Boxgirls Kenya will receive the Award at a London ceremony on Monday 16 November 2015, where representatives from the winning organisations will attend along with people from a range of foundations, multilateral agencies, INGOs and prominent influencers within the sector.
Nairobi is a dangerous place to be a girl. During the post-election violence in 2008, many girls and women from Boxgirls Kenya’s community were raped and left traumatised.
An increase in sexual violence, combined with no platform for girls’ voices to be heard, has left young women from this community vulnerable.
Most girls drop out of school due to poverty and girls lack access to quality healthcare.
Boxgirls Kenya provides over 1,000 girls with healthcare services, leadership and entrepreneurship skills.
The organisation trains female boxing coaches and life skills facilitators who are then equipped to run weekly sports training sessions for girls across the community.
Boxgirls Kenya also campaigns for girls to remain in school until they complete their education and engages community members with its work, harnessing their involvement in demanding the rights of girls.
The organisation has championed Kenyan women in sports and one beneficiary, Elizabeth Andiego, was the first female boxer to represent Kenya at the London 2012 Olympic Games.
Muna Wehbe, CEO of Stars Foundation – “Despite the critical role that women and girls play in sustainable development, the World Bank estimates that less than two cents of every dollar spent on international aid is directed towards adolescent girls. The With and For Girls Award provides flexible funding to grassroots girl-focused NGOs, empowering them to invest their funds where they need them most. We want to shine a spotlight on these outstanding local organisations and encourage more funders to support girls in their role as vital agents of change within our sector.”
As part of the award package, Boxgirls Kenya will receive US$15,000 of flexible funding and capacity building support.
ENDS