Youth Voice and Empowerment Initiative

Shining Hope for Communities (SHOFCO) is a grassroots movement that catalyzes large-scale transformation in urban slums by providing critical services for all, community advocacy platforms, and education and leadership development for women and girls.

The Youth Voice and Empowerment in Kenya’s Informal Settlements initiative aims to empower young people in informal settlements throughout Kenya by collaborating with grassroots organizations.

Through sustained efforts, SHOFCO is creating opportunities for 2.1 million young people in Kenya’s informal settlements to have safe youth voice platforms, participate in dialogues, and access financial services, employment, and linkages to work. The program emphasizes the inclusion of historically overlooked youth populations: young women, persons living with disabilities, refugees, teen parents, those not in employment, education, or training (NEET) and survivors of gender-based violence.

The initiative involves forming partnerships with local organizations and the government. Overall, participation in program allows young people to build their agency and advocate for their needs and the needs of their communities while being connected to dignified work.

• Build a platform for young people’s voice and advocacy in informal settlements – The project seeks to build a critical mass of 2 million empowered young people in informal settlements countrywide. Each community of young people in the informal settlements will have the power, ability, and resources to advocate and drive change. Young people are engaged through sports, theatre, SMS messaging, and social media, as well as targeted youth committees, forums, and rapid polling activities to solicit input and drive demand for financial inclusion and livelihoods programs.

• Improve the financial system’s ability to meet the financing needs of young people – The project enhances access to financial services for young people in informal settlements through SHOFCO initiatives that provide financial literacy and access to credit. These platforms offer youth-focused financial products tailored to their unique needs, including loans for school fees, business start-ups and investment capital.