Stories of Resilience from Teenage Mothers in Kenya’s Slums
Welcome to the Still, I Rise website. We are so glad you are here.
A project of CFK Africa, this book amplifies the voices of young mothers living in Nairobi’s slums, who have demonstrated extraordinary resilience in the face of difficult circumstances. Since 2001, CFK Africa has worked to empower youth in slums through a locally-led model centered on healthcare, sports, girls’ empowerment, and education.
This project exists because these girls chose to be seen and heard, so that other girls around the world might feel less alone. We hope that their stories increase understanding of teenage pregnancy in slums, and that this site serves as a beacon of hope for any teenage mother in need.
Books are available to purchase in Kenya. Contact Maureen Onyango at maureen.onyango@cfkafrica.org.
Siama Yusuf, CFK Africa
Charlotte Barcott, Student Volunteer
“My childhood was stolen by a man my family trusted. A man I regarded as my own grandfather. In a single moment, my life changed forever, leaving me to carry pain, pregnancy and heavy weight of judgment that was never mine to bare…”
Read the story on the Daily Nation here.
“I called him grandfather. He was our neighbour, an elderly man my family trusted, and I ran his errands the way any respectful child in Kibra would. It was the April holidays, and I was 13.”
Read Whitney Akinyi’s Op-Ed on the Daily Nation here.
28 teenage mothers in CFK Africa’s Funzo Project have spent the past year reclaiming their narratives and writing their stories in this collective book.
Join us for the US book launch on October 10, 2026 in Charlotte, North Carolina, USA.
Empowering teen mothers in slums to return to school or vocational training through financial support, mentorship, counseling, and community advocacy.
Adolescent pregnancy in Kenya is rising. Extreme poverty, limited access to reproductive health services, and daily exposure to violence leave girls at risk.
cases of teenage pregnancy were recorded across Kenya in 2025, as reported by the 2026 Kenya National Bureau of Statistics’ Economic Survey.
million women ages 15 to 49 in Kenya have experienced physical violence in their lifetime, according to the 2022 Kenya Demographic and Health Survey – that’s 34%.
of girls in Kibera report not feeling safe walking around their community at night, as indicated in research from the Population Council.
We believe that all mothers deserve access to reliable maternal and child health information. We hope that this list of curated resources will support new moms in their motherhood journey.
Charlotte Barcott is a student at Myers Park High School in Charlotte, North Carolina. She is passionate about learning and being involved in her school and community.
Siama Yusuf is CFK’s Senior Program Officer for Girls Empowerment and the recipient of the Inaugural Teen Mother Leadership Award.
‘Still, I Rise’ is a true testament of the importance of peer-led safe spaces that not only allows girls to be truly seen and understood but also gives them the courage and tools to increase personal agency over their lives.
– Isis Nyong’o Madison, Technology Industry Leader focused on Africa’s advancement
Africa has many faces. The most important of these is hope: it shines through in every portrait and personal story in Still, I Rise. For the writers—28 young single mothers—participating in it, it has surely provided a lasting sense of community and common purpose. Illuminating throughout is their courage.
The book is co-edited by two remarkable young women: Siama Yusuf and Charlotte Barcott, a teenager herself, without a hint of the patronising attitude that often mars work in the same area of concern, inclined to be harshly judged in Kibera and in the world beyond it. This fine book fully captures the quality of its subject, uniting with hope, cemented in adversity.
– Michael Holman, former Financial Times Africa Editor
I have walked the narrow lanes of Kibera and seen one of the world’s most powerful forces for change: people taking action, connected with one another. The teen mothers who share their stories in Still, I Rise are organizing, mentoring, and lifting each other, with scaffolding from CFK Africa’s community health promoters and safe spaces. Trust, community, resources, and human networks transform lives.
Transformations to end extreme poverty can be achieved through collaboration and engagement of all tools available, including technology. Solving though ‘scout & scale’ works, by investing in locally led, community-based talent supported by local organizations, and outreach ensuring everyone has the opportunity to contribute. That’s what the pages of Still, I Rise share with us. I’ll be sharing this book with young people I know facing their own adversity.
– Megan Smith, former U.S. Chief Technology Officer; Member National Academy of Engineering; CEO, Shift7; co-founder, Malala Fund
A necessary and unforgettable book. In more than two decades with UNICEF, I have sat with children carrying burdens no child should bear, and I have learned they are often our finest teachers in courage. The young mothers of Still, I Rise reclaim their own stories, in their own words, and remind us that the most vulnerable among us are so often the bravest. We owe them more than our attention. We owe them our action.
– Mia Farrow, Actress and International Humanitarian Activist, UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador
These stories are raw, honest, and profoundly moving. They reveal not only the injustice teenage mothers face, but also the extraordinary strength they carry within them.
– Raj Panjabi, MD, MPH Harvard Medical School Assistant Professor, Co-Founder of Last Mile Health, and author of Safer: A Playbook — Turning Fear into Action and Crisis into Community
Too often, society responds to vulnerability with judgment rather than solidarity. Yet lasting change is built through community, dignity, and care. In these narratives, I see young women refusing to be defined by adversity and instead creating new possibilities for themselves, their children, and their communities.
– Dr. Stellah Bosire, Founder and Executive Director, Africa Center for Health Systems and Gender Justice
Grounded in CFK’s core belief that “talent is universal, but opportunity is not,” these stories of teenage mothers’ survival and success illustrate the very essence of why we must invest in empowering girls and in the power of community. Still, I Rise is a profound testament to what happens when opportunity is finally extended to those who need it most, and the life-transforming impact that follows.
– Jane Kilonzo, Director, HFC Limited; Board Director, CFK Africa
We believe that all mothers deserve access to reliable maternal and child health information. We hope that this list of curated resources will support new moms in their motherhood journey.
Preview two stories selected from Still, I Rise. The authors spent the past year writing their narratives through creative workshops and participating in specialized psychosocial support programming.
Hilda refuses to let the label of “teen mom” define her. A resilient young woman from Kibera, she has never lost her determination to pursue education and build a better future. After becoming a mother at 17, she now draws strength from her daughter and dreams boldly of leading change in her community.
Ashley is a determined young woman from Mukuru kwa Njenga who has overcome the challenges of becoming a teenage mother to reclaim her education and rebuild her sense of purpose. She is committed to raising her son and to helping other girls find their voices.
These materials are available for media use. Photos include images of participating mothers in their home communities, as well as at a writers’ retreat held in Kajiado, Kenya. Participating young mothers are in CFK Africa’s Girls Empowerment Program, which addresses and removes barriers that prevent girls in slums from making informed decisions about their lives.
We believe that all mothers deserve access to reliable maternal and child health information. We hope this list of freely accessible, curated online resources will support new moms on their motherhood journey, no matter their circumstances.
