At CFK Africa, we believe that talent is universal, but opportunity is not. Our mission is to empower youth in slums in Kenya who are creative and resilient and just need an opportunity to get started. We are a 501(c)3 organization in the United States with four team members, and a registered non-governmental organization in Kenya with over 80 staff. We are proud of our emphasis on local leadership. Since 2001, we have collaborated with slum communities to address their greatest challenges. In these communities, most residents live on less than $3/day. A lack of infrastructure, the spread of disease, rampant gender-based violence, limited access to education, and high levels of unemployment are all challenges that residents face on a daily basis. CFK Africa works to tackle these issues and develop pathways out of poverty, serving 200,000 people annually through programs centered on health services, youth leadership and education, girls’ empowerment, and sports. Co-founded by a UNC alumnus, a Kenyan nurse, and a Kenyan youth organizer, CFK Africa has remained a proud affiliate of UNC-Chapel Hill, and our United States office is based in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
We primarily use print and direct mail for our fundraising campaigns, which are crucial for raising support to fuel the life-changing programs our team implements in Kenya. We strive to be as innovative as possible with our mailed pieces, pushing the envelope of non-profit communications and keeping the Kenyan youth who benefit from our programs at the center of our communications. We bring their voices directly from slums in Kenya to our supporters in the United States. For example, our recently mailed pieces have included images of handwritten notes from young people in slums, as well as letters they wrote for our community. Our work to bring these unheard voices to homes across the United States is of the utmost importance, reminding us of our shared humanity and the value of a united global community. All of our mailed pieces highlight stories of impact, building trust and credibility with our donors. Our print and direct mail complement our digital communications strategy, and our printed pieces often contain QR codes that link to our website, so that donors can learn more about the issues they care most about.
In 2026, CFK Africa will celebrate our 25th anniversary of impact in slums. We have an exciting year ahead, including the launch of our first annual CFK Africa benefit event, We Are Together, and the start of a $25M capital campaign to propel us into the next 25 years of impact. We plan to use print and direct mail to educate our community on our work, reflect on the past 25 years, and look to the future as we embark on an ambitious plan to digitally engage and support more than 1 million youth across sub-Saharan Africa by 2030. Our 25th year presents an opportunity for even more creativity in our mailed pieces, which will play a critical role in raising awareness of our work and reaching our fundraising goals.
