Written by Sofia Rangel, Undergraduate student at the UNC Hussman School of Media and Journalism
My favorite time of day in Kibera falls between 4 and 5 p.m., as the sun begins its slow descent toward the horizon. The streets fill with the melody of honking cars, bumper-to-bumper traffic, and children walking home from school. To an outsider, this may just seem like rush hour, but anyone who stays long enough to truly feel it knows that the heart of Kibera beats to this rhythm.
Given that Nairobi is the farthest I have been from my home in North Carolina, I expected to feel a profound level of culture shock. What I did not expect was to feel an immediate sense of familiarity and, soon after, a sense of belonging. That feeling was made possible by the warmth and generosity of every person we met, especially the team at CFK Africa.
Our first day at CFK’s headquarters was filled with warm welcomes from leaders whose passion and dedication were contagious. Visiting clinics, facilities, and community programs gave me the opportunity to see firsthand how CFK is creating meaningful change in Kibera.
Our group of four quickly became a group of nine when we met the five members of the Youth Media Corps. This is the moment when that sense of belonging truly began to grow. Within days, we went from strangers to teammates and friends.
After learning the principles of ethical storytelling from Darian Woehr and Hailey Sadler of The Home Collective, we paired up and headed into the field to produce short documentaries about CFK’s 2026 Community Champion nominees.
Together, Yeltsin and I spent several days with Calvince, manager of CreaKids Learning and Sports Centre. CreaKids aims to empower youth in Kibera through digital education tools and sports programming.
Working alongside Yeltsin and in close collaboration with Calvince, we documented CreaKids’ work by conducting interviews, recording b-roll, and taking photos. The result was a two-minute documentary and 30-second trailer highlighting the organization’s impact, which we presented to CFK on our final day.
Over the course of my two weeks with CFK, I gained invaluable storytelling experience rooted in cross-cultural communication, collaboration, and a human-first approach to journalism. These lessons will shape the way I tell stories now and far into the future. Most importantly, I am leaving with friendships that I will carry with me for the rest of my life and that I know will one day bring me back to Kenya.
Thank you to the entire CFK Africa staff, the talented Youth Media Corps, Darian, Hailey, Kyle, and my UNC cohort for making this experience so meaningful. Asante sana!