Carolina For Kibera, Inc.

As a community, we envision Kibera to be free of ethnic violence, where youth have a safe space to learn about each other's backgrounds and to appreciate diversity, where HIV/AIDS prevention is widely available and affordable, where healthcare in general is affordable and of high quality, where basic needs such as food or water are part of Kibera's every day life and infrastructure, where girls and women feel empowered to make choices for themselves and for their bodies, and where both boys and girls have access to a quality education and work readiness training to give them the tools to find, keep, and create employment.

Our three priority areas consist of 1) enabling affordable access to quality health care, 2) advancing locally-owned businesses through financial literacy and business skills trainings, and 3) fostering self-confidence, leadership, and understanding across gender and ethnic fault lines in order to build a strong community.

CFK staff members do not simply deliver goods and services to Kibera. Instead, they collaborate with community members to develop long-lasting, sustainable programs that help solve complex issues. Through direct involvement, community members become ambassadors of positive impact for their families and friends. As older participants assume leadership roles, they multiply impact by growing programs, engaging their personal networks and inspiring the next generation of leaders.The positive impact of these local leaders spreads, or 'cascades,' through the community.

Carolina for Kibera believes that community problems require local solutions run by local leaders. Youth are particularly important for Kibera's future; as one of the fastest growing areas of Kenya, as many as half of Kibera's residents are under the age of fifteen. Despite these sobering statistics, we believe the dedicated, resilient youth of Kibera will grow into a new generation of wise, empathetic leaders capable of affecting change.

Carolina for Kibera believes that catalyzing social and economic change within a community can only be sustainable when driven by those that are most affected by community issues. In keeping with that belief, CFK's organizational structure reflects our values. Our staff in Kenya is made up of sixty full and part time staff – all are Kenyan and many are from Kibera. In the US, CFK employs minimal full-time staff. In addition, hundreds of dedicated volunteers and board members support our Kenyan staff in whatever ways they can with no thought of reward.

Carolina for Kibera is also a major affiliated entity of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. As such, UNC provides significant in-kind support for CFK, including office space, accounting services, and most importantly, access to the university's vast network of talented faculty, staff, students, and alumni. As a result from partnering with UNC and Duke University, we have established global partnerships with several additional organizations, including the Centers for Disease Control, ONE.org, Global Giving, One World Futbol, Harvard University, Stanford University, and MIT. These organizations serve and help build our programs on the ground in Kibera by developing initiatives and raising awareness of CFK's work.

Lastly, we receive support from generous individual friends and donors throughout the world. 98% of our donors are individuals, all of whom have directly helped to provide critical medical care, empower young girls, give children access to education, build sports programs for children, and provide community members with the means to start or grow a business.

When fighting poverty and violence through peace, a victory of any size is a remarkable victory. Through our programs, the youth of Kibera help create change every day by spreading messages of peace and progress, and by inspiring others to do the same.

Last year, our programs extended services to thousands of Kiberans, young and old. CFK engaged 2,191 youth in sports programming, awarded 77 student scholarships through our education program. 100% of our graduating scholars qualify for higher education based on their national exam scores. Our Tabitha Medical Clinic treated 34,475 patients. 4,768 adolescent girls were served through our Daughters United program which conducted 25 safe spaces giving girls the opportunity to express themselves. Opened in September 2019 in response to community needs, our Tabitha Maternity Home opened. Last year the home served 2,241 patients, conducted 431 safe devlieries, and reported zero maternal deaths.

Combating poverty is an ongoing process. But with empowered youth leaders making strides towards peaceful collaboration, progress is achieved every day.