Let me be honest: we’re still £16,178 away from our £30,000 match fund Big Give target and there’s just 24 hours left. I’m worried we may not make it.  

There’s a reason we’re asking for this funding. Our grassroots partner Polycom needs funds to roll out training and support for more teenage mums in an area where it's almost impossible to find.  

The deadline in the Big Give Christmas Challenge is fixed at 12pm tomorrow, it simply cannot be extended. So - please - take a minute now, before you run out of time, to double your donation that will directly fund Polycom’s work on the ground in Kenya with teen mums.

In the Kibera informal settlement there’s a lack of sex education, poor funding for health services, and young mums often face stigmatisation and abuse. Where Polycom work, a team member told us “sexual harassment is rampant…there’s a lot of insecurity, a lot of crime.” They even say that “the law does not exist.”  

This is why your donation for services within the community is so important - if you make one. And it’s why I’m asking you so directly. We want to help Polycom reach more teenage mothers at a time in their lives when they have an uphill battle to climb.  

Things can be better. Recently, sexual harassment and issues affecting women have been making the news in Kenya. Increasing training for teen mums so they know their rights can be a catalyst for change. But we all need to pitch in.  

It’s truly amazing that 242 of you have chipped in already. I know this is the most ambitious Big Give target we’ve ever had, but it’s what our partner Polycom needs and I really think we can get there together. So, please join the others who’ve got involved and give today. Chip in before 12pm tomorrow.

Thank you for staying engaged on our journey to safeguard women’s rights.

Martina Hoggart
Interim Director of Fundraising & Marketing
Womankind Worldwide