| CFK Africa | |
| Formation: | 2001 |
| Formerly: | Carolina for Kibera |
| Founder: | Rye Barcott, Salim Mohamed, and the late Tabitha Atieno Festo |
| Type: | NGO |
| Headquarters: | Kibera, Nairobi, Kenya |
| Location City: | Nairobi, Kenya |
| Services: | Public Health, Youth Development, Girls' Empowerment, Sports for Peace and Development |
| Leader Title: | Co-Founder & Board Chair |
| Leader Name: | Rye Barcott |
| Leader Title2: | Executive Director |
| Leader Name2: | Jeffrey Okoro |
| Website: | https://cfkafrica.org/ |
CFK Africa (previously Carolina for Kibera) was founded in 2001 by Rye Barcott, Salim. Mohamed, and the late Tabitha Atieno Festo. CFK Africa is an international non-governmental organization (NGO) based in the informal settlement of Kibera in Nairobi, Kenya, and is registered as an NGO in Kenya and a 501(c)(3) in the US.
CFK's philosophy is grounded in participatory development. As a registered nonprofit in the U.S. and a registered NGO in Kenya, CFK Africa is led by its executive director, Jeffrey Okoro, who reports to a joint board of directors composed of both Kenyan and American volunteers. CFK Africa co-founder, Rye Barcott, currently serves as the board chair. In 2020, CFK Africa convened an advisory council,[1] a diverse group of 22 international leaders, including 64th U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, and former CDC Director Dr. Bill Roper.
Time magazine named CFK Africa a "Hero of Global Health" in 2005, and ABC News named CFK Africa co-founder Rye Barcott Person of the Year [2] in 2006 for his work in Kibera and his service as a U.S. marine. Time for Kids featured CFK on the cover of its March 30, 2007, edition.[3] In 2004, Canadian musician Sarah McLachlan concluded her award-winning music video "World on Fire" with footage of CFK Africa's soccer tournaments and medical clinic in Kibera. Two years later, CFK Africa published LIGHTBOX: Expressions of Hope from Young Women in the Kibera Slum. This powerful book of narratives and photographs from disposable cameras gives voice to the young and courageous women of CFK Africa's Binti Pamoja (Daughters United) program.[4] In 2007, then Senator Barack Obama visited CFK Africa's youth center and gave a landmark speech calling for ethnic unity and education in Kibera.[5] CFK Africa played a crucial role in providing emergency aid during the Kenyan post-election violence in 2008, and for its efforts, the Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum honored CFK Africa as its recipient of the Reflections of Hope Award in a ceremony with the former ABC World News Anchor Bob Woodruff and his wife Lee.[6]
In 2008, CFK Africa received a $1 million grant for capacity building and income generation expansion from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Dr. Jill Biden visited CFK Africa's Binti Pamoja Centre in 2010 as she sought to promote women's rights, girls' empowerment, and gender equality around the world.[7] In 2011, Barcott published It Happened on the Way to War, which juxtaposes military service and social entrepreneurship.[8] The book was chosen as required reading for freshman classes at NC State University (2012) [9<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kirkpatrick |first=Lauren |date=July 10, 2012 |title=Common Reading Builds Wolfpack Community |url=https://chass.ncsu.edu/news/2012/07/10/common-reading-builds-wolfpack-community/}}</ref> and [[East Carolina University]] (2013).[9] In 2012, Kathleen McGinn of Harvard Business School profiled CFK Africa as the topic for the school's first ever multi-media case study.[10] Susan Mueni Waita, a participant in CFK Africa's Girls' Empowerment Program, received a Queen's Young Leaders Award in 2016 for her work supporting girls and women in Kibera.[11] She founded an organization called Making a Difference (MAD) Sisters to educate girls on sexual health. In 2018, Rye Barcott delivered the commencement address at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.[12]