Silver Nekesa, a 17-year-old student of Chebukaka High School in Bungoma County in Kenya, has joined the growing list of teenagers who are taking up the fight against child abuse by creating a digital platform to support the victims and create awareness.
During an exclusive interview with Prime Africa, Nekesa narrated how she was motivated by the painful experiences of a neighbor’s child who was severely abused at home to develop a website where survivors of child abuse can learn how to seek help and heal.
“I got this idea after seeing a neighbor’s child being abused severely by her parents. I could not watch from the stands,” Nekesa said.
The platform she developed has important tabs regarding child abuse, neglect, and how to deal with these types of abuse. It is accessible to anyone with an internet connection, and one can go to the homepage on the website to get information on the different types of child abuse.
“There is also a ‘REPORT’ button that victims can click to get a list of centers where they can go for help, like the little boy who was sexually abused by his neighbor,” added Nekesa.
In their testimony, Nekesa stated that before the child was rescued, their parents had deprived them of the necessities of life, such as food and shelter. This tragedy was a turning point that made her act more than she planned.
She got the idea after participating in the 2024 Student Congress at Nalondo CBM National School in Bungoma, which was organized by Save the Children under the Breadth of Skills project. The project involves collaboration with the Bungoma County Government Department of Education and civil society organizations to improve the education system in the area.
Nekesa’s teacher was particularly instrumental in fine-tuning the website and assisting her in developing it into a project presentation at the Science and Engineering Fair.
“I told my teacher about it when I got back to school, and they supported me fully. “Together we constructed the site as a project,” she said.
Nekesa now wants to be a computer engineer and have even better programs to combat child abuse in society.
Silver Nekesa is not only creating websites for people but also provides hope to them.
About The Author
