The Agence Française de Développement (AFD) has launched a new initiative to support Kenyan feminist civil society organisations combating technology-facilitated gender-based violence (TFGBV). Through its Feminist Organizations Support Fund (FSOF), AFD is allocating €811,000 to strengthen locally led efforts that address digital and technology-enabled forms of gender-based violence in Kenya.
While digital technologies have expanded opportunities for participation and activism, they have also enabled online harassment, cyberstalking, non-consensual image sharing, and coordinated abuse campaigns that disproportionately affect women, girls, and gender minorities. These forms of violence can silence voices, undermine rights, and limit public participation.
Feminist organisations in Kenya are at the forefront of confronting these challenges, providing survivor support, advocacy, and awareness-raising initiatives. The programme will enhance the capacity of grassroots organisations to deliver legal and psychosocial support, digital security training, community outreach, and advocacy to strengthen accountability and protection online. By focusing on locally led initiatives, the programme ensures responses are grounded in the realities and needs of affected communities.
The initiative is funded through AFD’s FSOF and implemented in partnership with Urgent Action Fund–Africa (UAF-Africa), a pan-African feminist fund supporting women’s human rights defenders and feminist movements. It aims to strengthen feminist leadership, support organisations advancing gender equality, and provide survivor-centred assistance through legal support, psychosocial services, digital security training, and advocacy.
Kenya’s allocation is part of a broader €5 million multi-country programme covering Benin, Senegal, Nigeria, Cameroon, Togo, Kenya, and Zimbabwe. Of this total, €4 million supports a consortium of feminist organisations led by UAF-Africa, while €900,000, managed by Expertise France, focuses on enhancing public policy dialogue and institutional engagement on online gender-based violence. Across the seven countries, the initiative will support over 55 feminist civil society organisations, promoting safer digital environments and protecting the rights of women, girls, and gender minorities.
