Community Wellness Programs
Locally led initiatives for: education | stigma reduction | prevention
Nearly 50% of all adolescents in Kilifi screen positive for probable depression and 39% screen positive for probable anxiety
– (IDinsight Report 2025)
In coastal Kenya, widespread poverty, rising levels of substance abuse, trauma, and violence continue to disrupt the lives of young people; increasing mental health challenges and social vulnerability. There’s limited support spaces and historical stigma within the communities.
Our Community Wellness Programs integrate mental health support into engaging and nurturing spaces, meeting young people exactly where they are.
We have two youth programs that leverage sports (beach football) and creative arts to support youth’s mental health.
And a children’s program that utilizes the natural healing power of play and movement to help kids process emotions and develop healthy coping mechanisms.
What the community programs do:
Co-created with each target group, each program focuses on bringing youth together to learn, share, heal, and grow while they do what they love.
- Sports for mental health program = a 8 module program for "informal" beach football clubs that educates youth on mental health, while providing safe spaces for healing, social connection, physical wellness, and growth
- Creative arts for mental health program = a 5 module program with guided creative sessions where youth learn how to process complex emotions, develop coping skills, share their stories, explore identity, and collaborate through: visual arts, music, storytelling, and performance
- Play and movement for mental health program = guided trauma-informed play sessions for children to safely process & regulate their emotions while restoring their childhood joy
How your support creates impact:
Our scalable initiatives encourage youth to seek help and build stronger mental health support networks on location – doing what they love. Your funding + donations help us:
- Reach more youth football clubs with our 8 module "sports for mental health" program that provides mental health education and group psychosocial support
- Hold more "creative arts for mental health" sessions diverting youth from substance abuse & violence and redirecting their energy into meaningful coping, expression, and advocacy
- Hold more play and movement sessions for kids, exploring age appropriate emotional regulation and coping skills
