𝐌𝐲 𝐒𝐤𝐢𝐧 𝐆𝐥𝐨𝐛𝐚𝐥 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐊𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐡 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐮𝐦 𝐋𝐚𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐡 𝐆𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐭𝐨 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐛𝐚𝐭 𝐒𝐤𝐢𝐧 𝐁𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐂𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐊𝐞𝐧𝐲𝐚

𝑇𝑤𝑜-𝑂𝑟𝑔𝑎𝑛𝑖𝑧𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝐴𝑙𝑙𝑖𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝐴𝑖𝑚𝑠 𝑡𝑜 𝑅𝑒𝑎𝑐ℎ 5,000 𝑌𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑔 𝑃𝑒𝑜𝑝𝑙𝑒 𝑖𝑛 𝐹𝑖𝑟𝑠𝑡 𝑌𝑒𝑎𝑟, 𝑅𝑒𝑑𝑒𝑓𝑖𝑛𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝐵𝑒𝑎𝑢𝑡𝑦 𝑆𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑑𝑎𝑟𝑑𝑠 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑆𝑎𝑣𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝐿𝑖𝑣𝑒𝑠 𝐴𝑐𝑟𝑜𝑠𝑠 𝐸𝑎𝑠𝑡 𝐴𝑓𝑟𝑖𝑐𝑎

𝐍𝐀𝐈𝐑𝐎𝐁𝐈, 𝐊𝐄𝐍𝐘𝐀 – 𝐃𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟕, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓 – My Skin Global, an international leader in combating colorism and promoting skin positivity, today announced a strategic partnership with Konnect Youth Consortium (KYC), one of Kenya’s most respected youth empowerment organizations, to improve youth mental health, increase self-esteem and self-acceptance in the skin they’re in, disrupt the practice of skin bleaching practice epidemic affecting thousands of young women and girls across East Africa and beyond.

The partnership combines My Skin Global’s proven mental health focused and anti-skin color bias curriculum, which achieved 100% participant recommendation rates in Denver Public Schools, with KYC’s 18 years of community trust and infrastructure across Kericho, Narok, Bomet, and Bungoma Counties, where the organization has already reached over 112,673 young people with health and empowerment programs.

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐂𝐑𝐈𝐒𝐈𝐒
Skin bleaching products containing mercury, hydroquinone, and other toxic chemicals are causing irreversible harm to young Kenyan women and girls. Health consequences include skin cancer, kidney disease, mercury poisoning, and severe psychological trauma. Yet the practice continues to grow, driven by colorism, discriminatory beauty standards, and societal pressure equating lighter skin with success and worth.

To us, this isn’t just a beauty issue, it’s a public health emergency and a mental health crisis, said 𝐅𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐜̧𝐨𝐢𝐬𝐞 𝐌𝐛𝐚𝐛𝐚𝐳𝐢, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐌𝐲 𝐒𝐤𝐢𝐧 𝐆𝐥𝐨𝐛𝐚𝐥. Young women are risking their lives because they are consistently being told that their natural beauty isn’t enough. We have seen through education and various conversations that education changes that narrative. When girls understand the dangers, celebrate their authentic beauty, and see their worth reflected, they make positive choices.

𝐀 𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐍𝐄𝐑𝐒𝐇𝐈𝐏 𝐁𝐔𝐈𝐋𝐓 𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐈𝐌𝐏𝐀𝐂𝐓
Starting in June 2026, the partnership will integrate My Skin Global’s evidence-based curriculum into KYC’s existing youth health and empowerment programs across four Kenyan counties.

𝐘𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐎𝐧𝐞 𝐆𝐨𝐚𝐥𝐬:
Train 10 KYC educators
Reach 5,000 young people with skin positivity education
Establish 10 peer support circles for girls facing colorism or skin bias treatment
Launch community awareness campaigns redefining beauty standards and the harmful impact of skin bleaching
Create measurable improvements in self-esteem and mental health

𝐊𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐡 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐮𝐦 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐧𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐲 𝐭𝐰𝐨 𝐝𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐬 𝐛𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬, said 𝐌𝐫. 𝐎𝐛𝐰𝐢𝐫𝐢 𝐊𝐞𝐧𝐲𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐚, 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐜𝐞 𝐌𝐨𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐳𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐊𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐡 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐮𝐦. This partnership allows us to address a crisis we’re seeing every day, young women harming themselves pursuing impossible standards. We’re ready to offer them educational tools that enable them to celebrate their true, authentic selves. An opportunity to empower communities that celebrate them, and futures that honor who they truly are.

𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐍 𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐔𝐋𝐓𝐒 𝐌𝐄𝐄𝐓 𝐋𝐎𝐂𝐀𝐋 𝐄𝐗𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐓𝐈𝐒𝐄
My Skin Global brings a curriculum with demonstrated success:
100% participant recommendation rate in U.S. implementation
Significant measured improvements in self-esteem and resilience
Increased willingness to seek mental health support
Proven frameworks for addressing colorism and body image

KYC brings irreplaceable community assets:
Deep relationships in target communities
Established health and youth program infrastructure
Trained staff and volunteer networks
Cultural knowledge and trust built over 18 years
Track record of sustainable impact

𝐁𝐄𝐘𝐎𝐍𝐃 𝐄𝐃𝐔𝐂𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍: 𝐀 𝐇𝐎𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓𝐈𝐂 𝐀𝐏𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐀𝐂𝐇
The partnership addresses skin bleaching through multiple channels:
𝐌𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: Specialized support for girls experiencing colorism-related trauma, building on KYC’s existing mental health initiatives, including the Be Their Certificate training program.
𝐄𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐜 𝐄𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭: Training for young women to invest in safe, natural skincare practices, creating income opportunities that empower rather than harm.
𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐃𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐮𝐞: Engaging parents, teachers, and community leaders in shifting beauty norms and celebrating African beauty.
𝐀𝐝𝐯𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐜𝐲: Joint efforts toward stronger regulations on toxic skin bleaching products in Kenya.

𝐀 𝐌𝐎𝐃𝐄𝐋 𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐄𝐀𝐒𝐓 𝐀𝐅𝐑𝐈𝐂𝐀
This partnership creates a replicable model for addressing colorism across the region. If successful in Kenya, the framework can scale to other East African nations facing similar challenges.
Again, we are not bringing a program to implement, emphasizing 𝐅𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐜̧𝐨𝐢𝐬𝐞 𝐌𝐛𝐚𝐛𝐚𝐳𝐢 𝐨𝐟 𝐌𝐲 𝐒𝐤𝐢𝐧 𝐆𝐥𝐨𝐛𝐚𝐥. “We’re resourcing KYC’s work to address a crisis they’re already seeing. This is community-led, culturally grounded, and built for sustainability.”

𝐓𝐈𝐌𝐄𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐄:
• 𝐉𝐚𝐧𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔: Partnership framework finalized
• 𝐅𝐞𝐛𝐫𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐲: Community needs assessment in target counties
• 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡-𝐀𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐥 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔: Curriculum localization and data collection
• 𝐌𝐚𝐲 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔:Training for first cohort of educators
• 𝐉𝐮𝐧𝐞 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔: Pilot program launch in initial communities

𝐀𝐁𝐎𝐔𝐓 𝐌𝐘 𝐒𝐊𝐈𝐍 𝐆𝐋𝐎𝐁𝐀𝐋
My Skin Global leads the global movement against colorism, combining education, advocacy, and community empowerment, championing mental well-being, decreasing the number of young people engaging in skin bleaching through educational strategies, and protecting our ecosystem. Founded in Denver, Colorado, with operations in Nairobi, Kenya, the organization has achieved measurable success in changing how young people see themselves and their natural beauty. Learn more at 𝐦𝐲𝐬𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐨𝐛𝐚𝐥.𝐜𝐨𝐦

𝐀𝐁𝐎𝐔𝐓 𝐊𝐎𝐍𝐍𝐄𝐂𝐓 𝐘𝐎𝐔𝐓𝐇 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐒𝐎𝐑𝐓𝐈𝐔𝐌
Konnect Youth Consortium is an independent, non-profit organization registered in Kenya since 2007. Operating across Kericho, Narok, Bomet, and Bungoma Counties, KYC has reached over 112,673 young people through health programs, leadership development, climate action, and livelihood initiatives. The organization’s mission is to promote young people’s holistic health through service delivery, advocacy, and research for enhanced productivity and self-reliance. Learn more at 𝐤𝐲𝐜.𝐨𝐫.𝐤𝐞

𝐌𝐄𝐃𝐈𝐀 𝐀𝐕𝐀𝐈𝐋𝐀𝐁𝐈𝐋𝐈𝐓𝐘
Representatives from both organizations are available for interviews. For media inquiries or to arrange interviews:
𝐌𝐲 𝐒𝐤𝐢𝐧 𝐆𝐥𝐨𝐛𝐚𝐥: info@myskinglobal.com | +254 (794) 19-7708
𝐊𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐡 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐮𝐦: info@kyc.or.ke | 020-2027-495
𝑯𝒊𝒈𝒉-𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒐𝒍𝒖𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒊𝒎𝒂𝒈𝒆𝒔, 𝒃-𝒓𝒐𝒍𝒍 𝒇𝒐𝒐𝒕𝒂𝒈𝒆, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒂𝒅𝒅𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒂𝒍 𝒃𝒂𝒄𝒌𝒈𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒅 𝒎𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒂𝒍𝒔 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒂𝒗𝒂𝒊𝒍𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒆 𝒖𝒑𝒐𝒏 𝒓𝒆𝒒𝒖𝒆𝒔𝒕.