Mental wellbeing for young people in Kenya

Hello Friend,

Thank you so much for supporting the mental health and wellbeing of young people in Kenya through your donation to Raising Futures Kenya’s Seed of Hope programme.

Why does your support matter so much?

In Kenya, half the population live in extreme poverty. Young people in the underserved communities where we work, live without the certainty oftheir next meal or how to afford basic items like sanitary products. They face barriers to accessing education, skills, and fair employment. Life in the margins, precarious and uncertain, trapped by low family income and high living costs, places children and young people at high risk of exploitation and abuse - especially for young women and girls - causing significant trauma and poor mental health. 

By supporting our Mental Health and Wellbeing initiative as a vital and integrated part of our Seed of Hope programme, you are enabling young people accessing our free vocational training courses, to benefit from group counseling, and individual counselling with trained professionals to process and heal from trauma. Daily Life Skills classes break down the stigma of mental health, tackle subjects like substance abuse, gender allyship and healthy relationships, and help build rebuild confidence and positive coping mechanisms.

What is the impact?

In 2025:

• 1,058 students benefitted from weekly group counselling sessions
• 465 students were supported with one-to-one counselling
• 86% of incoming students’ survey results indicated ‘possible’ or ‘probable’ depression or anxiety, which dropped to just 5% by the time they completed their training. 

One student who has since graduated, shared how she had been orphaned, and sent with her siblings to live with an aunt, where they were poorly treated and she had to escape. She said “When I joined [Seed of Hope], I had no idea how I would feed myself or even pay my rent. I was emotionally broken and mentally exhausted. But through the counselling sessions offered at Seed of Hope, I started to find my strength…Today, I’m a different person. I am full of life, confidence, and joy. Seed of Hope didn’t just teach me a skill, it gave me my dignity, my voice, and a second chance at life.”

The wrap-around mental wellbeing support, that you generously contributed to, has provided young people with the foundation for lasting transformation, self-development and resilience to go on to sustain employment or their own small business. Our latest Graduate Survey at 9 months beyond graduation, showed that 88% of vocational course graduates were in employment or self-employment, most earning above the poverty line, and 100% reporting improved mental wellbeing.

Last month, our three Seed of Hope centres held graduation ceremonies bursting with joy for the classes of 2025, celebrating their incredible achievements. Thank you so much for being a part of their journey, planting seeds of hope, happiness and bright futures ahead. We could not have helped them to get there without your support!

Every best wish from Leela and the Raising Futures team