Written by Ben Bramson, CFK Africa 2024 Peacock Fellow and undergraduate student studying religion, pre-medicine, and conflict management at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.
It is said that CFK Africa’s roots run deep. In my experience as a 2024 Peacock Fellow, I have witnessed this aphorism hold true, but it is in need of an important addition: they also run wide.
CFK Africa is working to expand their Sports for Peace and Development project across Kenya. Recently, the sports team visited Kiandutu informal settlement in Kiambu county to collaborate with youth football coaches and train them on the implementation of Value-Based Sports (VBS) techniques: a method of coaching focused on equipping players with tools of resilience to combat socio-economic issues such as school drop-out, crime, drug and substance abuse, and gender-based violence.
Upon our arrival in Kiandutu, it quickly became evident that community leadership and feedback remains central to CFK Africa’s activities, even as they expand across counties. Our team was awaited by local coaches who had been recruited as community coordinators to ensure that CFK Africa’s blossoming collaboration is being led from within Kiandutu. The coaches had rallied forty of their peers for our first day of training, an astonishing 100% attendance rate from our targeted number. During each of the two training sessions, the coaches were gathered into small groups and given a platform to speak on what they perceived to be the major obstacles facing their community, why these issues exist, and how they might be combatted. Their feedback was recorded and reviewed to ensure VBS engagements are specifically addressing the needs and methods identified by Kiandutu leaders and not overgeneralizing from prior experiences. It was an honor to work with coaches fully engaged in leading the youth and the goals of VBS.
Perhaps most special from the trip was a lunch organized by Peter, a dearly adored member of CFK Africa’s operations team. We are not alone in our affection for him. Not far from Kiandutu, Peter calls a beautiful, coffee-filled region of Kiambu home. He welcomed the team into his community and treated us to a meal of freshly brewed beef stew and ugali cooked by a friend of his before introducing us to many other kind, welcoming people. Besides providing my favorite Kenyan food yet, the experience served as a tasty reminder that CFK Africa’s connections are not limited to Kibera.
This community emphasis I have observed is no one-off phenomenon. My time in Kibera has been filled with numerous other anecdotes of community commitment. Kennedy and Nick, our two Sports Project Officers, are regular attenders of the local Saturday morning soccer matches and can hardly walk fifty yards in Kibera without receiving a gota (fist bump) or personal greeting. Their active engagement in the social life of the community extends to frequently visiting the training grounds of CFK Africa’s two professional soccer teams: Kibera Soccer Women FC and Kibera Soccer FC. These teams act as role models for the soccer-enthused youth and serve as social change champions in the community.
Yet while soccer may be a breath of life within Kibera and other informal settlements, it is not alone. CFK Africa’s commitment to identifying the wants and needs of communities has included gauging interest in other activities, such as the increasingly popular sport of basketball, and creative outlets, such as dance and theatre.
It is encouraging to watch CFK Africa grow without losing sight of its roots: of what goals they wish to accomplish, and perhaps importantly, how they seek to accomplish them. They have not let themselves grow complacent in their community approach, seeking feedback, understanding, and local involvement at every turn. I am blessed by the mentorship of Kennedy, Nick, and the entirety of CFK Africa’s team. As I map out my future, I know that it is their guidance that I wish to follow.
It is a true and resounding joy to work alongside community leaders and mentors who dedicate themselves to the betterment of youth outcomes: who are fully committed to the people and lives of those around them and consistently seek to learn, adapt, and grow. Under their nurturing, CFK Africa’s roots continue to grow too.
