Written by Victrine Oluoch, CFK Africa Psychosocial Counsellor
“It’s okay to talk.” “We hear your struggles.” “You matter.” “It’s normal to cry.”
These were some of the affirming words exchanged among young men at CFK Africa’s recent session held in honor of Men’s Mental Health Awareness Month.
When you ask young men in Kibera what keeps them up at night, the answer is rarely abstract. The most common answer is unemployment – and everything that follows from it. A young man without work often feels like a young man without options. Food becomes a calculation. Rent becomes a constant struggle. Some have come home to find the door locked, their belongings still inside, and they rely on asking friends for a place to sleep. Education, once seen as the path that could change everything, slowly moves out of reach.
Together, these problems become something heavier, a steady pressure on the minds of young people trying to survive, provide, and envision a stable future. In Kibera, the easiest escapes can also be the most dangerous. Drugs and alcohol are accessible and affordable. When no one has shown you another way to release the pressure, they can seem like a convenient coping mechanism.
Society has told the boychild to be “strong,” to “man up,” and “to never cry.” From boyhood, many learn that admitting struggle is the same as admitting failure. So they keep quiet. They hide the weight.
But at this gathering, held in collaboration with Mirror of Hope CBO, a group of young men in Kibera chose a different way. They came together, put the mask down, and talked.
The event opened with a panel of experts speaking on mental health, including counseling psychologists, a peer youth provider from Mental 360, and Mr. Kibera – a youth-elected figure to represent Kibera youth. Together, they spoke about the things that are often left unsaid: how to break silence and stigma, how to recognize warning signs in yourself and others, and how asking for help is not weakness but courage.
By the end of the day, the young men left with a different understanding of mental health. They saw it not as something to hide, but as something they could care for with the right tools, support, and people around them. They named healthier ways to cope instead of turning to destructive ones. Some said, for the first time, that they felt heard.
CFK is working to normalize men opening up about their mental health, not just during Men’s Mental Health Month, but year-round.
For CFK, that means meeting young men at different points of need, like health talks by youth peer providers and mentors; realistic workforce development programming and job placements through the TechCraft project; and accessible and affordable primary healthcare services, including family planning.
These programs might be the difference between a young man choosing to speak to a friend about what is on his mind, rather than resorting to drugs to cope. Or it might mean proactively using a condom, rather than facing long-term effects of unprotected sex like early pregnancy and HIV.
For 25 years, CFK Africa has worked alongside the people of Kibera, not doing things for the community, but with it. In 2026, that work looks like young men sitting in a room, speaking honestly, listening to one another, and walking out a little less alone.
We are grateful to Mirror of Hope, Mental 360, REPSSI, and the Ministry of Health for joining us to ensure the boychild is not left behind, and to every young man who showed up with courage.
If you or someone you know is struggling, CFK Africa’s Youth Friendly Services Centre is open for you. You do not have to carry it alone.
***In honor of our 25th anniversary in 2026, this story is #12 of 25 Stories of Change, shared throughout the year and featuring youth and communities whose lives have been transformed by CFK Africa.