Kilifi County, located along Kenya’s stunning coastline, is home to lush tropical forests, hills and fertile lands that sustain rich agriculture. But, behind the county’s picturesque landscape lies some deep-seated challenges.
According to the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics 2022 report, approximately 61% of Kilifi’s youth aged 15-24 live below the food poverty line, which means they don’t have access to daily nutritional needs. Children also have limited access to quality education and inadequate healthcare services. Many youths face barriers to opportunity, while substance abuse and mental health issues remain significant concerns.
For Festus, a young man from Kilifi, this reality hit too close to home one fateful afternoon. As he walked down a familiar street in his hometown, his eyes caught sight of a familiar figure. It was a childhood friend who was rummaging through trash. Their eyes met and Festus recognized that glazed and distant look in his eyes. This was not the carefree boy he used to know. This was another young person under the horrific influence of substance abuse.
As he walked on, Festus couldn’t stop thinking about what he’d just seen. He knew he had to do something. He hurried to the local Compassion centre to ask for help. They responded swiftly, arranging rehabilitation and covering all the costs. But as his childhood friend began treatment, one question lingered in Festus’ mind: What if this happens again?
Will the church always be there to help the next young person? Or the one after that?
A vision for change
Festus stands outside the church where they started Hope for Future, a peer-led group that helps youth navigate poverty and mental health.
Festus wrestled with these questions, knowing firsthand how mental health challenges can shape a person’s life. As a teenager, he’d struggled himself. He had once wrestled with defeating thoughts of feeling like a failure, but this soon changed when he became part of the local Compassion centre, where he received the timely counselling and support that he needed to turn his life around.
That’s when an idea was ignited in Festus’ heart. Why wait for help to come from the outside when solution could come from within the community? Fueled by hope, he grabbed a piece of paper and began to write his idea—a peer-led initiative where young people could uplift each other, offering strength and support through life’s challenges.
The idea grew into a movement. Festus rallied other youth from the Compassion program, forming a team of passionate individuals with a shared mission: to create a safe space for mental health conversations and support. “We realized that mental health issues were affecting many of us, but there were no spaces for young people to talk openly about it,” Festus shares.“We knew we had to create those spaces.”
This is how Hope for Future was formed.
“Let’s talk”
Festus leads a group counseling session called “Tusemezane” or “Let’s talk.”
Hope for Future started with small meetings called Tusemezane groups—Swahili for “Let’s talk.” These meetings became a safe and supportive space where young people could share their struggles openly, from battling substance abuse to coping with depression or grief.
One of the first success stories came from Beryline, an 18-year-old who was overwhelmed with guilt and sorrow after losing her mother. “I blamed myself for her death,” she recalls. “I thought my pregnancy had caused her too much stress.”
The Hope for Future team reached out, offering her counselling and support. Their care helped Beryline begin to heal. Today, she’s one of the group’s strongest advocates, using her baking skills—learned at the Compassion centre—to provide for her child while mentoring other young people. “Hope for Future gave me my life back,” she says. “Now, I visit schools, encouraging others to face their challenges head-on.”
A growing movement
Festus stands with other members of Hope for Future. They care about supporting other teens facing poverty and mental health challenges.
Word began to spread about the growing impact of Hope for Future in the local community. By 2023, Hope for Future had officially registered as a Community-Based Organization (CBO), a milestone that allowed them to expand their reach. Powered by a team of 10 dedicated core members, they continue to address pressing challenges faced by their peers, from child protection to drug abuse, suicide and depression, their reach extends far beyond their local churches, impacting lives across the entire Kilifi community..
At the heart of their growth is Rose, a staff at Festus’s Compassion centre and the group’s steadfast patron. “My role is to guide the youths and support them in bringing their ideas to life, but the energy and vision come entirely from them,” she shares. “They’ve earned the trust of the churches, and I’m so proud of the work they’re doing. It’s truly transformative.”
The group’s use of technology has also been groundbreaking. Through WhatsApp, members stay connected, providing real-time encouragement and intervention during crises. Festus recalls one instance vividly: “I saw a WhatsApp status from a member saying, ‘I’m done.’ I reached out immediately and just listened. By the end of our conversation, he felt hopeful enough to keep going.”
Their strategic use of social media has transformed their outreach efforts, enabling them to identify and respond to moments of crisis. They’ve used this tool to help them meet young people at the point of despair, creating lifelines that pull them back from the brink before it’s too late.
From pain to purpose
What makes Hope for Future unique is the peer-led approach. It provides an approachable space where teens feel understood by others.
What makes Hope for Future unique is its peer-led approach. The team understands the struggles firsthand because they’ve lived them. This shared experience builds trust and makes their support deeply personal.
“We all have different stories, but at some point, we’ve all felt like we were suffering alone,” Festus shares. “Hope for Future creates a space where we can be ourselves, share openly and know we’re not alone.”
This peer-led approach has become a cornerstone of the group’s success. By creating an environment where young people feel safe to share their struggles, they’ve broken barriers that often keep mental health issues hidden.
Amina, one of the group’s ambassadors, shares how Hope for Future transformed her life. “When I finished high school, I felt like a failure. My grades weren’t good enough for university, and I stopped caring for myself. I became withdrawn and lost all confidence. But after going through peer counselling with Hope for Future, I found the strength to believe in myself again.”
Today, Amina visits high schools with the team, sharing her story and offering hope. “Mental health issues affect us all, and we can’t afford to deny it. I’m proud to be part of a group making a real difference.”
They’ve since trained 32 mental health ambassadors—one for each church in their community—ensuring that no young person feels isolated. Their success has inspired neighbouring communities to reach out, hoping to replicate the model.
The journey ahead
Hope for Future ambassadors Beryl, Amina, Josphat and Carolyne are passionate about seeing the youth in their community thrive.
For Festus and his team, this is just the beginning. They dream of expanding their efforts, partnering with professional counsellors, and reaching more young people across Kenya.
“We’ve seen how powerful it is when young people support each other,” Festus says. “Our goal is to create an environment where everyone feels heard and valued. Just being listened to can make all the difference.”
Their patron, Rose, couldn’t agree more. “These young people have brought real change to our community,” she says. “They’ve proven that they have everything they need to succeed. God has equipped them with the tools to transform lives.”
Hope for Future stands as a testament to the resilience and determination of youth to rise above their circumstances. It’s proof that when young people are empowered, they can transform their communities and bring hope to others. But they can’t do it alone. With more tools, training and professional support, they can extend their reach even further, impacting more lives.
You can be a part of this life-changing mission. By giving the gift of Mental Health Initiatives, you’ll be providing counselling, therapy and mental health education to children and youth facing the complexities of poverty.
More young people need timely support to overcome mental health challenges so they can thrive today and into their future.
Give the gift of hope today.
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Photos and field reporting by Kevin Nyakwada.
