Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Poverty is a complex issue. Living in the the informal settlement of Kibera has many challenges related to basic health services, community well being, economic and unemployment hardships, as well as gender and ethic barriers that make opportunities scarce and limits the possibilities of a healthy life for so many. Poverty creates a landscape where hardships exist at almost every level, and therefore requires an approach that can provide support in every aspect of a person's life, from the essential needs of health and safety, to economic opportunities and financial well being, to a balanced psycho-social upbringing.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Youth Sports Program
The CFK Youth Sports Program addresses three key social problems: ethnic violence, youth unemployment, and public health. CFK brings together male and female youth of different ethnicities to promote community cooperation and development through sports. CFK runs the only all-girls soccer tournament in Kibera, and each CFK soccer team is required to be ethnically diverse. In this way, CFK helps assuage ethnic tension at a grassroots level. Organizational decisions are advised by a committee of male and female youth representatives from Kibera's eleven villages, and sports equipment is provided by the U.S. Soccer Foundation's Passback Program in partnership Sportsendeavors, Inc. (Hillsborough, NC).
Tabitha Medical Clinic
Founded by the late Tabitha Atieno Festo, a widowed registered nurse from Kibera, Tabitha Medical Clinic is a community-based medical clinic that provides primary healthcare and youth-friendly services to Kibera residents in partnership with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). CFK has provided training for volunteers in the community to become home-based care providers, a program that has received generous support from Stop Hunger Now. Tabitha Clinic welcomes volunteer medical students and faculty from UNC and Duke University Medical Schools.
The Binti Pamoja Center
The Binti Pamoja (Daughters United) Center is a reproductive health and women's rights center for 11 to 18 year-old girls in Kibera. Founded in 2002 by Karen Austrian and Emily Verellen, the Binti Pamoja Center creates and provides a safe space for adolescent girls in Kibera, an otherwise hostile environment for young girls where rape, prostitution, HIV/AIDS, female genital mutilation, poverty, sexual abuse, unequal access to education, lack of reproductive health care and information, and demanding domestic responsibilities are still common. The Center uses photography, drama, writing, and group discussion to investigate such issues in-depth, allowing the girls to confront these issues and learn technical information about reproductive health and financial literacy. Furthermore, the Center hosts monthly speakers and field trips, community service projects, family events, and peer education programs designed to further empower the girls and provide an outlet for them to educate their communities through drama, a newsletter, and youth forums.
Angaza Education Program
Although school in Kenya is subsidized by the government up to grade 8, high school is still too expensive for most impoverished Kenyans. The Angaza Program provides qualifying CFK participants and community members with funds to cover up to 100% of the tuition fees for all four years of high school.
More Than Just a Scholarship
CFK provides an intensive three-month leadership training curriculum for scholarship recipients, which prepares them for the challenges of life after secondary school.
Sexual Reproductive Health Program
The Sexual Reproductive Health Program works closely with Tabitha Medical Clinic to provide HIV/AIDS testing and counseling, sexual health workshops, and one-on-one counseling services for the community. SRH educators also work across all programs to speak with young members of the community about HIV/AIDS and sexual health in a casual, non-threatening environment.
Lishe Bora Mtaani Nutrition Center
CFK's Lishe Bora Mtaani serves children who have been identified by staff and community health volunteers as severely malnourished. Focused on bringing severely malnourished children under five years of age back to full health, treatment at the Center consists of an 8-week feeding program in an early childhood development (ECD) or daycare setting. Early childhood educators provide educational instruction and support developing social skills while providing three nutritious meals per day, reaching 7 villages across Kibera. Lishe Bora Mtaani also incorporates both early childhood and parent education across the scope of its services.
Tabitha Maternity Center
The Tabitha Maternity Center opened in September 2019 and was designed to improve health outcomes for mothers and newborns in Kibera. In order to maximize accessibility, the facility is centrally located, has access to a road, and is open 24 hours a day. CFK facilitates transportation and engages with community leaders to ensure the security and safety of all patients. The program provides timely antenatal care with regular contact with skilled health personnel (i.e. doctor, nurse, or midwife), which allows women to prepare for delivery and understand warning signs during pregnancy and childbirth.
Young Health & Wellness Center
This one of a kind center in Kibera focuses specifically on serving the health and developmental needs of young people, ages 10-24. The Center provides a space for young people to feel in control of their holistic healthcare journey encompassing physical, social, emotional, and mental health initiatives. It fosters an environment that supports the protection and promotion of the health of young people by increasing their capacity to make informed choices. Leadership opportunities are provided to a select group of youth in the community using a Youth Peer Provider (YPP) model. The YPPs are trained to help educate their peers and encourage participation during center-based outreach.
Where we work
Awards
Hero of Global Health 2006
Time Magazine, Gates Foundation
Reflections of Hope Award 2008
Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum
External reviews

Photos
Videos
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Number of students who receive scholarship funds and/or tuition assistance
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Adolescents
Related Program
Angaza Education Program
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Context Notes
Our Angaza project supports the highest performing young people of Kibera through a mix of scholarships, leadership training, and immersive field trips.
Number of youth reached through Sports & Development
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Youth Sports Program
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Patient visits to the Tabitha Health Clinic
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Tabitha Medical Clinic
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Girls served by the Girls Empowerment Program
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Women and girls
Related Program
The Binti Pamoja Center
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Our Sustainable Development Goals
Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
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.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
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.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
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.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
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.
How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
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Who are the people you serve with your mission?
CFK improves public health and economic prosperity in informal settlements.
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How is your organization collecting feedback from the people you serve?
SMS text surveys, Electronic surveys (by email, tablet, etc.), Paper surveys, Focus groups or interviews (by phone or in person), Case management notes, Community meetings/Town halls,
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How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To identify where we are less inclusive or equitable across demographic groups, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve, To understand people's needs and how we can help them achieve their goals,
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What significant change resulted from feedback?
Based on feedback from the Kibera community, we established the Lishe Bora Mtaani Nutritoin Centre. With a belief that the community knows its needs best, we recently surveyed CHVs, MoH officials, and community members to evaluate the effectiveness and sustainability of its Care Group Model concerning maternal care and child nutrition. Findings indicated that the model was successful, especially concerning behavior change communication, but that impact could increase by expanding partnerships with early childhood development centres (ECDs). In response, CFK established partnerships with ECDs throughout Kibera’s 13 villages, reaching beneficiaries who originally could not access care due to distance.
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With whom is the organization sharing feedback?
The people we serve, Our staff, Our board, Our funders, Our community partners,
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How has asking for feedback from the people you serve changed your relationship?
Feedback from the community is essential to our participatory development model. It is how we have operated since the organization started in 2001. By involving the community and constantly asking for their feedback we know that we are addressing their most pressing needs. CFK has become a trusted resource when it comes to addressing misinformation. As a result of this trust, community members come to us when something is not working.
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Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
We collect feedback from the people we serve at least annually, We take steps to get feedback from marginalized or under-represented people, We aim to collect feedback from as many people we serve as possible, We take steps to ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us, We look for patterns in feedback based on demographics (e.g., race, age, gender, etc.), We look for patterns in feedback based on people’s interactions with us (e.g., site, frequency of service, etc.), We engage the people who provide feedback in looking for ways we can improve in response, We act on the feedback we receive, We tell the people who gave us feedback how we acted on their feedback, We ask the people who gave us feedback how well they think we responded,
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
It is difficult to find the ongoing funding to support feedback collection,
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Carolina For Kibera, Inc.
Board of directorsas of 02/22/2022
Rye Barcott
Co-Founder, Carolina for Kibera and Co-Founder and CEO, With Honor
Term: 2020 - 2023
Dr. Jennifer Coffman
James Madison University
Brett Bullington
Angel Investor
Francis Kibet
Duke Energy
Dr. Ron Strauss
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Claire Rotich
PwC
Joseph Ng’ang’a
responsAbility Africa Ltd
George Kuria
ACRE Africa
Dickson Omondi
National Democratic Institute for International Affairs
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Not applicable
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? GuideStar partnered on this section with CHANGE Philanthropy and Equity in the Center.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
The organization's co-leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
Gender identity
Sexual orientation
No data
Disability
No data
Equity strategies
Last updated: 08/16/2021GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more
- We review compensation data across the organization (and by staff levels) to identify disparities by race.
- We ask team members to identify racial disparities in their programs and / or portfolios.
- We analyze disaggregated data and root causes of race disparities that impact the organization's programs, portfolios, and the populations served.
- We disaggregate data to adjust programming goals to keep pace with changing needs of the communities we support.
- We employ non-traditional ways of gathering feedback on programs and trainings, which may include interviews, roundtables, and external reviews with/by community stakeholders.
- We disaggregate data by demographics, including race, in every policy and program measured.
- We have long-term strategic plans and measurable goals for creating a culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.
- We use a vetting process to identify vendors and partners that share our commitment to race equity.
- We have a promotion process that anticipates and mitigates implicit and explicit biases about people of color serving in leadership positions.
- We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
- We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board.
- We help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability.
- We measure and then disaggregate job satisfaction and retention data by race, function, level, and/or team.
- We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.