Silence isn't a choice. It's a design failure.

Most children who are abused won't tell anyone for years, often decades. And some never disclose at all.

yuli is changing that.

yuli is a child safety app grounded in clinical research that helps children recognize and disclose when something is wrong to a parent or trusted adult, and helps that adult respond appropriately.

What can change when a child is heard.

Silent

ChildConfined to silence

Trusted adultDoesn’t hear it

SupportNothing changes

The child’s lifeNegative physical, mental, and emotional health outcomes compound

Family and communityCarry the cost of silence as well

SocietyThe impacts of abusers’ actions fall on everyone, abusers remain free

An hourglass with a firefly inside. In silence, grey sand piles up and the firefly dims. When the child is heard, the glass turns, the sand runs through as gold light, and the firefly glows again.

The cost of silence $14.1 trillion Estimated annual US economic burden of health conditions linked to childhood adversity (Peterson et al., 2023)

Heard

ChildFinds a path to telling

Trusted adultsHear it sooner, react appropriately

SupportBegins earlier

The child’s lifeReduced negative long-term outcomes

Family and communityBecome more informed and vigilant

SocietyLower overall burden, abusers face consequences

Everyone’s journey is unique. This graphic’s intent is to show a pattern, not a verdict on any one person’s outcome.

yuli aims to change the course for children who have been confined to silence, and for the families, communities, and systems around them.

The people who do this work told us yuli would help.

In a 2026 validation study, 126 licensed clinicians reviewed yuli's approach. These are the people who sit with children and adult survivors every day, and their answers shaped what we are building.

89%of child-facing clinicians rated yuli moderately to extremely helpful
67%of child-facing clinicians rated yuli very or extremely helpful
75%of clinicians who work with adult survivors said a private channel like yuli would likely have helped their clients disclose sooner

Source: yuli clinical validation study, 2026. 126 licensed clinicians.
Clinician perception is not proof of impact, and yuli does not treat it as such.

Find your way in

yuli exists so that no child has to carry the secret of abuse alone.

Cher MacElhaney, founder of yuli

Built by someone who understands what silence costs.

yuli was founded in Boston by Cher MacElhaney, who spent over a decade in corporate sales leadership, most recently at Amazon as a global sales and partnerships leader, before leaving to build something that matters. yuli is being built in close collaboration with trauma clinicians, child abuse researchers, and survivor advocates.

Cher MacElhaney, Founder · Boston, MA

Follow the journey.

We're building carefully, not quickly. Follow along on Instagram or LinkedIn as yuli takes shape.

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