What is polished man?

One child dies every 5 minutes as a result of violence.

That's why this October we challenge all men and women to paint their fingernails.

Fingernails that spark conversations.

Conversations that inspire donations.

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

Because it shouldn't hurt to be a child.

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 are channelled into trauma prevention and trauma recovery programs for children who are at risk of or have suffered violence.

These include ygap accelerator programs, supporting entrepreneurs who are running ventures that focus on ending violence against children. ygap believes in the power of social entrepreneurship and that local leaders have the best solutions to problems in their community. This is why we back local leaders who have innovative approaches to the complex issues of trauma prevention and recovery.

Funds are also channelled into 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.