Carolina for Kibera (CFK) Youth Sports Association

This initiative uses sport as a core tool for youth development. "In Kibera, kids play soccer. They play amid the garbage and the crime of one of Africa's most notorious slums. They play even while their parents fight and die in ethnic conflicts." The project organisers believe in teaching youth that everything must be earned and that nothing is free. "In return for the opportunity to play sports, youth give back to their communities through garbage clean-ups and youth-led public service initiatives."

"CFK's philosophy is grounded in the concept of participatory development. Solutions to problems involving poverty are possible only if those affected by it drive development. Concerned outsiders can help by mobilizing communities, advising, networking, and providing resources. Ultimately, however, the community possesses the knowledge and motivation that are necessary to solve its own problems."

In addition to CFK's soccer games, the organisation focuses on issues impacting young people in Kibera such as the environment, reproductive health, and employment creation. Many of these efforts involve collaboration with USA-based organisations. For instance, through a partnership with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC), residents of Kibera who participate in a long-term CDC public health surveillance programme will receive free medical care from CFK's Tabitha Clinic. The new clinic is designed to be "eco-friendly", in concert with CFK's dedication to environmental responsibility (e.g., by organising community clean-ups and recycling programmes). To cite another example, CFK has embarked on an employment-creation programme through partnership with Cornell University's Johnson School of Management. The project, called the Base of the Pyramid Protocol, is focused on co-creating opportunities between multi-national corporations and local community-based organisations to sell products and create job opportunities for young people in disenfranchised urban areas. Kibera, vis a vis CFK, is one of three pilot projects worldwide.

Youth, Health, Poverty, Education, and Conflict.

In 2005, the Gates Foundation named CFK one of ten Heroes of Global Health at its Global Health Summit in New York.