What is polished man?

One billion children have experienced violence in the last year alone - that’s half the world’s children.

That's why this October, we’re challenging people to paint one nail.

Painted nails that spark conversations.

Conversations that inspire donations.

Donations that allow for trauma recovery and trauma prevention for children around the world.

So that no childhood is lost to violence.

Help end violence against children.

Why nail polish?

ygap's cofounder Elliot Costello came up with the idea for Polished Man after a visit to campaign beneficiary Hagar International in Cambodia. One evening, he met a young girl named Thea, who after playing naughts and crosses for hours, drew a heart on Elliot's palm, and then painted all of his nails blue.

Later, Elliot learnt how Thea came to be in Hagar's care - she was physically and sexually assaulted for two years by her orphanage's director. Elliot made the decision then and there to paint one nail to remember Thea. When he later learned of the extent of child violence, the Polished Man movement was born.

Where does the money go?

Funds raised through Polished Man support trauma prevention and trauma recovery programs for children who are at risk of, or who have suffered violence.

For Polished Man, our focus is on prevention because we want to end the issue, not just treat it. The World Health Organisation identifies poverty as one of the root causes of violence against children. That’s why we fund programs run through ygap, which uses the power of social entrepreneurship to support people to lift themselves out of poverty or disadvantage.

While we deeply believe in trauma prevention as the key to ending violence against children, we know that half the world’s children have experienced trauma already. The effects of violence can cause even greater harm later in life if left untreated.

That’s why we support some of the best trauma recovery agencies in the world, including the Australian Childhood Foundation, SAMSN, Hagar Australia and the New York Center for Children, to help young survivors of violence recover and shape their own futures.