Empowering Youth in Kenyan Informal Settlements

In Kibera, empowerment takes many different forms.

Sometimes, it looks like a classroom where young leaders learn to use their voices. And sometimes, it looks like girls mobilizing to take charge of her own health.

Thank you for joining CFK Africa in making these stories possible - you are creating change:

• Each year, CFK brings emerging leaders together through our Youth Leadership Pathway Curriculum. Now in its fourth cohort, the program creates pathways for meaningful community service, empowering youth to lead with purpose wherever they go. Victor’s motivation? “I want to build my communication and leadership skills to stand up and speak with courage.”
• In Kilifi, CFK Africa’s Girls’ Parliament put learning into action, advocating for greater access to sanitary towels. With support from local authorities, the girls mobilized over 1,000 packs of sanitary pads for distribution to girls and young women at a special community event. The turnout was overwhelming, the energy inspiring, and the impact immediate.
• Using her new knowledge in nutrition, financial literacy, and entrepreneurship from CFK’s Nutrition Champions training, Judith, a mother of six in Kibera, improved her child’s health and launched a successful charcoal business. Now a respected Nutrition Champion Mother, she shares her knowledge with other women, becoming a leader and source of empowerment.

2026 is a milestone for CFK Africa as we mark 25 years of empowerment in slums, of community-led ideas, and of scaling innovations in some of the world’s highest-poverty communities.

Thank you again for being a partner in this impact.

For CFK Africa, 2025 was an extraordinary year of impact as we connected youth in Kenya’s slums to opportunities that advance global health, education, jobs, and girls’ rights.

We are pleased to present our interactive year-in-review. These impact numbers demonstrate the scale of our reach, the diversity of our programming, and the measurable outcomes we’ve achieved.

Thank you for your support in making possible the success that these statistics convey!

1. With partner Teaching at the Right Level, we trained 97 teachers across 34 schools in tutoring methods for students in need, more than doubling our goal and showing high demand for our Best Schools Initiative.
2. 92 timely referrals made by landlords and landladies helped survivors of violence with life-saving support services.
3. Following a retreat for teenage mothers, 96% of girls said they now had a plan for achieving their future educational or career goals. 
4. 100% of our teenage mothers in their final year of secondary school graduated.
5. We introduced 2 new sports (pickleball & basketball) to help youth build life skills and develop healthy habits. 
6. 100% of our 92 Lux Sit & Jim Rogers scholars gave back through community service. 
7. At our Tabitha Maternity Home, skilled nurses and midwives safely delivered 515 babies.
8. 100% of our 20 nutrition Champions of Change found new, creative ways to earn money, helping them afford healthier food for themselves and their families.
9. Our Tabitha Medical Clinic not only remained open, but saw 36% more patient visits, stepping in after other clinics closed due to foreign aid cuts.
10. Youth unemployment dropped by 92% among participants in our TechCraft program.  
11. Three Youth Peer Providers at our Youth Friendly Services Center volunteered 1,200+ hours to reduce stigma and encourage other young people to seek health care. 
12. CFK held 11 community forums to inform programs and raise awareness about our services. 

This year, CFK celebrates our 25th year of service in slums in Kenya. We are thrilled to reach this milestone, and we invite all in our community to join us for special events throughout the year for a rewarding and unforgettable journey into our work. Karibu!

Links:

• 2025: Our Year of Impact
• Celebrating 25 Years of CFK Africa