Last month, I wrote an article about the women I met in Kilifi and what their stories taught me about economic independence and recovery from gender-based violence (GBV). I have kept thinking about one question since then: what happens to the survivor who needs this kind of support but cannot access it? For many survivors, the barriers are very immediate.

She may know that she needs to leave an abusive situation, but have nowhere safe to go. She may need to get to a hospital, police station or court, but not have money for transport. She may need to relocate with her children, but have no money for rent or basic necessities. She may want to rebuild her livelihood, but have no capital to start. These are not small gaps. They can determine whether a survivor is able to leave, seek help and begin rebuilding her life or remains trapped in an abusive environment.

This is why I believe Kenya needs to seriously consider a dedicated GBV Survivor Fund. A Survivor Fund would provide financial support to survivors at the moments when economic circumstances make it hardest to access safety, justice and recovery. It would complement the medical, psychosocial and legal services that already exist, while addressing a gap that is often overlooked: the cost of actually getting from crisis to safety and, eventually, to independence.

So, what should a Survivor Fund look like?

1. It should help remove economic barriers to safety.

At its heart, the fund should give survivors the ability to make choices without being constrained by financial dependency. This could include emergency vouchers and relief grants to help with food, temporary housing and transport when a survivor is in immediate need.

2. It should make safe relocation possible.

For some survivors, staying safe means leaving their current abusive environment. A Survivor Fund should therefore provide support for safe relocation, including emergency accommodation, rent subsidies, child support and resettlement packages.

3. It should strengthen the systems survivors rely on.

A survivor’s journey rarely involves just one service. She may need a hospital, psychosocial support, police station, a shelter, and legal assistance, sometimes all within a short period of time.

The fund should therefore strengthen referral pathways and support coordination between hospitals, police, legal aid providers, shelters, county gender departments and organisations working directly with survivors.

The goal should be a response that works around the survivor, rather than making the survivor move from one disconnected system to another.

4. It should support access to justice.

Seeking justice can come with costs that are easy to overlook. Transport, medical and forensic services & documentation, or even legal assistance. A survivor should not be forced to abandon the pursuit of justice because she cannot afford the practical costs involved.

5. It should support women to rebuild their economic lives.

This is perhaps one of the clearest lessons from the women I met in Kilifi. Economic empowerment gives women choices. The fund could provide economic empowerment grants for small businesses, vocational training and skills development, depending on the survivor’s circumstances and aspirations.

The goal is not simply to provide a one-off handout. It is to help women move from crisis towards stability and, ultimately, greater independence.

But establishing a Survivor Fund is not just about deciding what to pay for. We also need to think carefully about the needs and the voices of women and girls in how the fund is designed, managed and delivered.

Here are the core components of a survivor fund

Emergency relief vouchers & grants: Short-term financial support for food, temporary accommodation and transport to provide immediate assistance during crisis.

Dignity kits: Essential personal and hygiene items to support survivors during crisis and recovery.

Safe relocation and resettlement: This should include emergency housing and temporary accommodation, rent subsidies and relocation packages. It is critical to also have support for children accompanying survivors.

Economic empowerment and livelihoods: Grants for starting or rebuilding small businesses, vocational training and skills development. This will provide livelihood support to strengthen long-term economic independence.

Health and psychosocial support: Medical and forensic costs, counselling, psychosocial support and other essential health-related services.

Access to justice: Fund should provide legal assistance, transport to access justice services as well as documentation and related costs.

Strengthened referral pathways: Support coordination between hospitals, police, legal aid providers, shelters and county gender departments.

Trusted disbursement channels: Delivery through certified civil society organisations, safe houses, financial institutions and county gender departments. There should be clear, safe and survivor-centred mechanisms for accessing funds.

Clear guidelines and safeguards: Ensure dignity, confidentiality and non-discrimination while also establishing transparent criteria for accessing and managing the fund.

Survivor-centred governance and oversight: A multi-sectoral steering mechanism bringing together government, women’s rights organisations, service providers and survivor advocates.

Setting up the Fund and scaling: The government to set up the fund through shelters, WROs and legal aid providers then document lessons and evidence before scaling nationally.

A Survivor Fund will not end GBV on its own. But it can help ensure that when a survivor chooses safety, the lack of money is not what forces her back into violence.

The hustle and bustle of Karatina Market in Nyeri County is impossible to ignore. One of Kenya’s largest open-air markets, it pulses with movement. Voices calling out prices, sacks of produce shifting from hand to hand, traders negotiating in quick, practiced rhythms. Agricultural goods move in large volumes here. The pace is fast. Hectic. Relentless.

Tucked between hundreds of stalls, Mary Muthoni tends to her customers.

In a space that loud, Mary is soft-spoken, almost shy. She smiles gently at a customer before turning to welcome us. Her groceries seem to rise around her small frame. A mound of cabbages, baskets of tomatoes, onions, and maize arranged with care.

At 27, her face does not immediately betray the weight she carries. Married young, Mary is a mother of two and a survivor of abuse at the hands of both her husband and in-laws.

Her firstborn developed disabilities following complications from meningitis. Instead of support, this became the source of further abuse. She eventually fled back to her family home, hoping for refuge. But even there, the welcome was strained. Her child’s special needs seen as an added burden, demanding more than the family was willing or able to give.

Determined to survive, Mary sought out casual work, taking on laundry jobs. But even this came at a cost. Unable to afford daycare, she carried her child with her to work. There were days the crying made it difficult to complete tasks. Days she had to stop working altogether to rush to hospital. Many employers preferred workers without such responsibilities. Opportunities slipped through her fingers.

The financial, emotional, physical strain began to show. Caring for a child with special needs without support, while navigating rejection and instability, took a toll on her mental health.

By the time she was introduced to Jasiri’s work, Mary was depressed and struggling to find a way forward.

Through CREAW, she first received counselling which gave her space to process, breathe and begin again. From there, she underwent financial literacy training, building skills in business setup, record keeping, marketing, and product positioning.

With a KES 25,000 business grant, Mary started a clothes-selling business. However, the venture did not go as planned. Sales were low and losses discouraging.

But Mary did not stop.

She noticed how traders in Karatina bought produce in bulk and resold it across towns and villages. With what remained of her capital, she pivoted by starting small with onions.

This time, it worked.

Gradually, she expanded her stock to include tomatoes, maize, and cabbages, applying the lessons she had learned.

“While my income is not as big just yet, I am now able to generate enough to restock and cater for my basic needs,” she reflects.

There was a time she could not afford rent, school fees, or even food.

“Now, I can pay daycare for my child with special needs, and school fees including transport for my other child,” she says, a quiet smile breaking through.

Her income now supports medication for her child, who suffers from convulsions. She can afford the extra care her child needs. School transport has eased her daily burden, allowing her to focus on growing her business.

Mary dreams of expansion, of becoming a large-scale trader, of building something stable and lasting.

“I would like to encourage any woman experiencing abuse to get out of the house,” she says.

“Stop hiding. Gather the courage to seek help. I would not have been supported if I stayed behind, crying about my problems. I also hope more women can join the Jasiri Program. It has transformed my life. It understood my challenges and walked with me through this journey.”

The Jasiri Program is a five-year (2023–2028) initiative designed to strengthen the resilience of GBV survivors, expand their access to economic opportunities, and shift social norms so adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) can thrive in entrepreneurship and employment. Implemented across 16 counties in Kenya, the program is delivered by a consortium comprising the Centre for Rights Education and Awareness (CREAW), GROOTS Kenya, the Collaborative Centre for Gender and Development (CCGD), the Centre for Domestic Training and Development (CDTD), and Advocates for Social Change Kenya (ADSOCK), in partnership with Mastercard Foundation.