Potential Internship Partners for Summer 2016
African Cultural Research and Education Foundation (ACREF)
Location: Baba Dogo
African Cultural Research and Education Foundation is a community-based organization in
Babadogo Parish, working towards moral reawakening and peace and hope building for the
community of Kariobangi region of Nairobi. The project members use theatre and dance to
communicate their message. Over the years ACREF has realized the need to sustain the
programmes through engaging in income generating activities. Hence the members charge a fee
for their drama, poetry or dance performances. These activities are a means of job creation in a
country and environment that does not favour those who drop out of school early.
Amani Kibera
Location: Kibera
Amani Kibera (Peace in Kibera) works to improve the social, economic and cultural values of the
vast Kibera community, through organizing of value-based sports, workshops, trainings on various
skills, and cultural activities. The organization partners with various other like-minded communitybased organizations. An intern might expect to meet and work closely with some of these partners.
Carolina for Kibera
Location: Olympic Estate
Carolina for Kibera (CFK) exists to develop local leaders, catalyze positive change and alleviate
poverty in the Kibera slum of Nairobi. The organization promotes issues on health, education,
ethnic cooperation, gender equality and economic empowerment, and equips leaders with tools to
strengthen the community. CFK also works on programs that support sports, recycling
program, HIV/AIDs counseling and Sexual Reproductive Health Program and testing. It runs a
medical clinic.
Center for Domestic Training and Development (CDTD)
Location: Nairobi West
CDTD is devoted to raising self-esteem and personal growth for domestic workers by providing
opportunities for their employment, equipping them with homecare management skills, and
further training and development through appropriate continuing education. Started in 2001, the
organization runs a host of programs and centers in and around Nairobi. In addition to domestic
workers’ program, CDTD runs programs on refugee rehabilitation, literacy and education and
victim assistance programs. It is a good organization for students who are interested in a broad range of women
health, rights and empowerment.
Facing the Future (FAFU)
Location: Kibera
Facing the Future (FAFU) caters for children and youth. It gives them access to basic needs
(including education, nutrition, and good health) to enable them grow and become responsible
adult citizens. FAFU is a threefold program; 1) It offers education, both pre-school and primary
education and also facilitates scholarship support for needy teens/youth for high school and
college education. 2) It runs feeding program for daycare, pre-school and primary pupils. 3) It
provides medical services for children. FAFU also has community empowerment programs that
train mothers and youth on micro-entrepreneurship. It is in the process of opening a resource
center for networking and advocacy.
Fairmile School
LOCATION: Waiyaki Way (Kangemi)
Fair-mile School caters for children and young Adults with learning and developmental disabilities.
The school has an enrollment of twenty students ranging from three to twenty seven years of age.
Students are admitted through referrals by medical practitioners, psychologists, and parents. The
school currently works with students from birth to adulthood with different problem areas ranging
from, culture-specific/culture-bound syndrome, Down syndrome, Autism, and Fragile-X, Williams
Syndrome, and Cerebral Palsy. Fairmile curriculum offers academics, socialization skills as a
precursor to developing communication skills, language skills (verbal, signing, and
technology augmented). The school’s vision is to provide an innovative approach to service
delivery in the special needs area with a view of empowering parents, teachers and the community.
The student intern will assist in most aspects of the programs, eg reading with the students, playing, organizing meals
etc. For an intern interested in organic gardening, the school has a patch that need tending creative hands.
Foundation for Health and Socioeconomic Development in Africa (HESED).
Location: Kilimani, Off Argwings Kodhek Road
Hesed Africa addresses problems facing mainly children, women and youth in the context of
health, economic and social empowerment while integrating cross cutting issues such as HIV and
AIDS, human rights, peace building and gender. The organization’s mission is to realize a society
that has access to all basic rights and to enhance the livelihoods of vulnerable communities
through the development of health and socio-economic capacities of the population. Its projects
include health, HIV/AIDs, Reproductive health, Food security, Economic empowerment, and
Youth Empowerment.
Heshima Kenya
Location: Riverside
Heshima Kenya specializes in identifying and protecting orphaned and separated refugee children.
Their shelter, education and community outreach services, coupled with local resources and the
refugee community, enable and empower unaccompanied refugee children to lead healthy lives. By
providing resources for long-term support, these children become catalysts for strengthening
intercommunity ties creating sustainable change within the local and global communities.
Heshima currently runs a girl’s empowerment and educational program, a safe house and a lifeskills training program.
Intercontinental Publishers (IP)
Location: Riverside Drive
IP publishes Kenya Engineer Journal for the engineering community. It highlights, and often
examines the various engineering projects going on in the country. It seeks to establish itself as an
advocate for sustainable, responsible and environmental-friendly engineering and construction. IP
would provide an ideal internship for an environmental journalism.
Kagoech Foundation Trust
Location: Jamhuri Park,
Kagoech Foundation Trust (KFT) provides strategic assistance to grassroots community activities
to improve livelihoods. It focuses on development, governance, environmental and resource
management. KFT focuses on four main areas; advocacy & education, women and youth
empowerment, environment and natural resource management and democracy & governance.
Each area of work builds on and informs the other. KFT. Its appendage, the Green Generation,
brings together youths in occasional city cleanups and policy workshops.
Kito International
Location: Kawangware,
KITO International works on a simple philosophy: give street youth an economic opportunity,
and they will work their way out of poverty and stay off the streets. It focuses on education &
training of youth on life skills, leadership and entrepreneurial skills. Among its current projects, the
organization runs Ecosafi (clean environment) project to make gift bags and greeting cards from
recycled materials and street clean-ups. Kito International has a team of soccer players most of
them are former street children who graduated from its programs. The organization also partners
with a local public school whose students utilize the facility.
Kwani Trust
Location: Riverside
Kwani was started to develop Kenyan and African intellectuals and creative resource minds
through strategic literary interventions. Kwani Trust stores and distributes literary products and
services globally and edits and publishes a literary journal that provides a regional representation of
new and young literary voices.
Lea Toto
Location: Kangemi
Lea Toto Program aims at improving the quality of life of HIV positive children living in some of
Nairobi’s poorest informal settlements. To accomplish this, the Program facilitates a holistic
process that involves support and access to: Comprehensive medical care, Provision of
Antiretroviral Drugs (ARVs), Nutrition and food security, Psychosocial support to the children
and their families, Education and vocational training, Capacity building and economic
empowerment of the children and their families, Voluntary Counseling and Testing and
Supportive counseling for the children and families.
LocalAid Community Program
Location: Wanyee Rd, Dagoretti Corner
LocalAid focuses on the welfare and dignity of disadvantaged communities and vulnerable
children. The organization services the needs of local communities in respect to health, education
& training and poverty eradication through empowerment and sustainability. LocalAid programs
include: The new horizon family home, localAid community health clinic and women and youth
empowerment program.
Makina Community Development Project (MACODEP).
Location: Kibera
Makina Community Development Project (MACODEP) focuses on improving the capacity of the
disadvantaged members of the Kibera slums via the provision of Health care, HIV/AIDS
intervention, environmental sanitation and above all empowering the community economically.
MACODEP activities include a health clinic, laboratory testing services, a home-based HIV/AIDS
care program, and a home for orphaned children.
Mission for Improvement and Boosting Services to the Community
MIBOSCO
Location: Githurai
MIBOSCO is voluntary and not-for-profit organization registered under the Ministry of Gender,
Children & Social Development in Kenya. The organization was created for the purpose of
fighting against all forms of poverty facing people, especially women and children. It aims to
eradicate, educate and empower them to know their basic right. MIBOSCO conducts and
coordinates research, training and implements community based projects in social and community
welfare, education, healthcare, HIV/AIDS, environment conservation, agriculture and livestock,
rural development, income generation, water and sanitation, gender equality, human rights,
refugees issues, women and children protection, justice and peace, culture and arts. The goal is to
create employment, education, meetings, train through workshops, skills-sharing, forums and
multicultural experience.
Nafsi Africa Acrobats
Location: Ngong Road
Nafsi Africa Acrobats is a collaboration of artists and performers from informal settlements
around Nairobi that uses art (both visual and performing) to teach communities, children and
youths on respect, self-empowerment and culture. It works towards uniting artistic talents for
display to raise awareness of community issues through performance. Nafsi aims to empower
youths to become positive agents of development in their communities.
Nairobi Family Support Services
Location: Kibera
Nairobi Family Support Service (NFSS) is a rehabilitation center for people with disabilities. The
organization works with parents of children with disabilities, professionals, organizations and
communities to create awareness and reduce stigmatization of children and people with
disabilities. NFSS aims to promote comprehensive family-oriented and community-based services
for people with disabilities and their families/guardians through programs that enhance quality of
life and self-reliance. NFSS programs range from; expanding participation of people with disability
in Nairobi, home visits, outreach, running epileptic clinic, teaching sign language and running a
children sponsorship program.
Peace Tree Network
Location: Ngong Road.
Peace Tree Network (PTN) promotes peace in Eastern Africa. Its programs work to create an
enabling environment for exchange of information, experiences and resources that encourage and
support peace initiatives in the region. PTN focuses on youths in the area of capacity building,
research, documentation and publication, conflict transformation, Advocacy and human rights.
Sarakasi Trust
Location: Ngara
Sarakasi Trust is a cultural performing arts organization assisting youths from the streets and
informal settlements to capitalize on their talents. It trains youths from the Nairobi’s informal
settlements in acrobatics, dancing and music as a means of developing their skills and improving
their professional techniques and social development. Sarakasi also has a hospital project that uses
performance and games to entertain children at Kenyatta National and Mater Hospitals and a
prison project through which prisoners learn to play music instruments.
Savo Community Foundation
Location: Kibera
Savo Community Foundation offers sustainable development services in Kibera slum and other
parts of the country. Among its projects is household water treatment through Solar Water
Disinfection (SODIS) method. Water provision and supply (construction of water kiosks and
water points and supply of water tanks), rain water harvesting, hygiene and sanitation campaigns.
It organizes seminars, workshops and field training on these issues.
Seeds of Peace in Africa (SOPA)
Location: Kilimani
Seeds of Peace Africa (SOPA) facilitates the empowerment of children, young people and women
through non-violent means, conflict transformation and peace education/training, research and
analysis, counselling and networking in order for them to build peace, sustainable development
and respect for human dignity. The organization specializes on sports as a medium to achieve its
goals.
Umande Trust
Location: Kibera Olympic Estate
Umande Trust, a rights-based agency, believes that modest resources can significantly improve
access to water and sanitation services if financial resources are strategically invested in support of
community-led plans and actions. Its largest project is in transforming water supply, sanitation and
environmental services in partnership with communities in Kenya’s urban centers. The Trust has
run a number of projects over the years all targeting communities living in informal settlements in
urban areas.
Usalama Reforms Forum
Location: Kabarnet Road, Off Ngong Road
Usalama works to reform the police force and community policing. It has helped to develop
“a police station model” that has been tested in more than 8 communities. Usalama aims to
strengthen the community’s role in enhancing their safety and security, promote accountability,
democratic governance, respect for human rights and the rule of law within the police force.
Ultimately, Usalama wants to ensure citizens’ full participation in security sector.
Vision Africa
Location: Dagoretti Corner
Vision Africa works with orphaned and destitute children. It supports and operate schools in the
Kibera slum and in other deprived areas of the country, providing food, clothing and educational
resources. Its program extends to various building projects, including building school classrooms
and whole facilities, such as special needs schools and children's homes. An intern working with this
organization should be prepared to make site visits outside of Nairobi.
Women Empowerment Link (WEL)
Location: Ngong Road
Women’s Empowerment Link (WEL) is a non-profit, non-partisan non-governmental women rights
organization committed to empowering women and girls to realize their potential, worth and
strength politically, socially and economically through advocating for opportunities that explore their
potential. WEL recognizes that the survival of women and girls is increasingly being challenged by
economic dependency, illiteracy, Sexual & gender based violence (SGBV), HIV/AIDS, gender
inequalities & marginalization, conflict, insensitive laws & policies which underscore WEL’s
purposeful programming on five key thematic areas: women economic empowerment, access to
education, reproductive health and rights, sexual & gender based violence & HIV/AIDS,
transformative leadership & governance.
World Hope Centre
Location: Kawangware
World Hope runs an academy, a sports program, HIV outreach and a church to reach out to the
community in Kawangware. A student at World Hope may assist in sporting programs or the
school and may also be a part of initiatives to bring economic sustainability to parents and other
community members.