Inspired by a tragic family incident, South African developer Leonora Tima has created Grit, a groundbreaking digital platform designed to address gender-based violence (GBV) in her country. The app, which features an AI chatbot named Zuzi, aims to provide support, gather evidence, and offer immediate assistance to abuse survivors. Leonora’s motivation stemmed from the brutal murder of her 19-year-old pregnant relative in 2020, a crime that went unnoticed in the media due to the alarming frequency of such cases in South Africa. Determined to challenge the normalization of violence against women, Leonora developed Grit with input from local communities and financial backing from organizations like Mozilla, the Gates Foundation, and the Patrick McGovern Foundation. The app includes three key features: a help button that records audio and alerts a rapid-response call center, a secure digital vault for storing evidence, and Zuzi, an AI chatbot offering guidance and support. Grit has already garnered 13,000 users and received 10,000 help requests in September alone. While the app has drawn international acclaim, experts caution that AI tools should complement, not replace, human empathy and professional counseling. Leonora emphasizes the importance of diverse representation in AI development to ensure technology reflects the realities of its users.