CFK Africa (CFK) empowers youth in slums through youth leadership and public health. Co-founded in Kibera in 2001 by a Kenyan nurse, a Kenyan community organizer, and a UNC student, CFK has grown from a youth football program and a one-room clinic into one of Kibera’s largest and longest-standing NGOs, now working in 26 informal settlements (slums) across Kenya. The organization’s public health, girls’ empowerment, sports, education, and youth leadership programs reach 200,000 people each year. In 2027, CFK is launching a Youth Development Network to connect one million youth to education, mentors, and jobs.
For approximately 500 supporters in the United States, a piece of mail is a tangible and accessible way to stay connected to the bright and ambitious youth we work with.
It is also an essential piece of our annual fundraising campaign and intentionally echoes some of our organization’s values: amplifying locally led change and youth voices. This year, we included a quote from one of our Kenyan staff who leads our girls empowerment program, and we promoted a book authored by 28 teen moms from Kenya’s slums. Rather than speaking on behalf of the communities we serve, the people closest to the work tell the story.
We’re also embracing creativity and want to differentiate our direct mail apart from conventional nonprofit mail. This year, we created a bookmark that serves as a reminder that when youth are given opportunities, they can unlock their full potential. It also ties to the release of our book, Still, I Rise: Stories of Resilience from Teenage Mothers in Kenya’s Slums, published by CFK and featured on NPR’s Here & Now. We designed a bookmark, so this mail doesn’t end up in the trash right away but has a practical purpose. Every time a supporter opens a book, they’re reminded of the young mothers who found the courage to share their stories.
Print and direct mail have helped us carry these voices and photos into homes across the United States. In a crowded sea of digital media, a print piece can leave a lasting impression, especially for someone connecting with youth halfway across the world.
Looking ahead, we plan to use print to bring our supporters along as we build the Youth Development Network, sharing the stories of the young people it connects to education, jobs, and mentors. Each piece will continue to center youth voices and locally led change. We’ll also use direct mail to thank our supporters for their generosity in sustaining our mission.
As a lean U.S. team of four, every dollar we save on printing and postage is a dollar that goes to programs in Kenya. A Telepathic Graphics grant would let us produce higher-quality pieces, reach more households, and keep young people’s voices at the center of how we share our work. It would help us turn a milestone year into lasting support for the next generation of leaders across slums in East Africa.
We appreciate Telepathic Graphics for their professionalism, responsiveness, and friendliness, qualities that were evident when we worked with them in 2025. We’re hopeful to continue to strengthen our partnership with them while growing our base of supporters to produce more printing opportunities in the future.
