ICS Africa

ICS SP^[3][4] is a civil society organization. ICS Africa was founded in 1980 and aimed to ensure the safety and wellbeing of all children in Africa.^[5] They moved their headquarters to Nunspeet in 2004, while renaming from "International Christian Support Fund" to "International Child Support". The word 'Christian' implied that ICS only supported Christians, conflicting with ICS' goal of supporting underprivileged people regardless of belief. They changed their logo and name to "Investing in Children and their Societies" (ICS SP) in 2011.

1. Nafics^[6] - Nafics Ltd is a maize trading company in Kenya. It aims to turn a profit while supporting the Western Kenyan maize supply chain, specifically in Busia and Kakamega.
2. Skillful Parenting Project (Africa)^[7] - ICS SP works with parents with the aim of preventing child abuse, neglect, and family disintegration.
3. Agribusiness (Kenya)^[8] - ICS SP provides farm inputs on the condition of reforms to ensure timely planting, use of modern farming technologies, and increased harvest. The agribusiness project is part of the ISEC (Investing in Social and Economic Change) program in Western Kenya, which aims to improve income and food security for households.
4. Agribusiness (Tanzania)^[9] - ICS implements a similar agribusiness program in Meatu, Tanzania to boost cereal and sunflower production.
5. Young Entrepreneurs Program (Y.E.P.)^[10][11] - ICS SP intends promotes self-employment in Meatu, Tanzania through an ICS Academy, training youth in agriculture, ICT, or mechanics, as well as providing entrepreneurship development programs.
6. Water Project - ICS SP aims to combat severe water scarcity in Meatu, Tanzania.

The ICS SP Headquarters are located at Westland, between Park Inn by Radisson and KESRA Building in Nairobi, Kenya.^[12]

CFK Africa (previously Carolina for Kibera) was founded in 2001 by Rye Barcott, Salim Mohamed, and the late Tabitha Atieno Festo. CFK 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. It is a pioneer of grassroots participatory development.

CFK leads a girls' empowerment center, and entrepreneurship and economic development initiatives in Kibera. It is also an affiliated entity at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and has an office at the university. They're led by Kenyans and advised by American and Kenyan volunteers.

CFK's philosophy is grounded in participatory development.^[13] 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,^[14] a diverse group of 22 international leaders, including 64th U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright (in memoriam), former CDC Director Dr. Bill Roper, retired US Representative, David Price, Isis Nyong'o Madison, a Partner at Asphalt & Ink; Co-Founder, WomenWork Kenya, Kathleen McGinn, Ph.D. a Cahners-Rabb Professor of Business Administration; Co-Unit Head, Negotiation, Organizations & Markets at Harvard Business School, Jesse Moore, the CEO and co-founder of M-KOPA, and Megan Smith, 3rd Chief Technology Officer of the United States and Co-Founder of the Malala Fund, to help the organization improve and expand its services in informal settlements.

Time magazine named CFK Africa a "Hero of Global Health" in 2005 [1], and ABC News named CFK Africa co-founder Rye Barcott Person of the Year [2^[15] 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. ^[16] 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. ^[17] 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. ^[18] 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. ^[19]

In 2008, CFK Africa received a $1 million grant for capacity building and income generation expansion from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.^[20] 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. ^[21] In 2011, Barcott published It Happened on the Way to War, which juxtaposes military service and social entrepreneurship. ^[22] The book was chosen as required reading for freshman classes at NC State University (2012) [9^[23] and East Carolina University (2013). ^[24] In 2012, Kathleen McGinn of Harvard Business School profiled CFK Africa as the topic for the school's first ever multi-media case study. ^[25] 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. ^[26] 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. ^[27]

In 2022, CFK Africa partnered with MIT for the Leveraging Evidence for Action to Promote Change (LEAP) Program, designed to provide guidance on how to implement, measure, and eventually scale specific interventions to improve school attendance in informal settlements in Kenya. In 2023, CFK Africa supported the Kibera Girls Soccer Academy, the first soccer team from an informal settlement to enter the Women's Premier League in Kenya. Additionally, in 2023, U.S. First Lady Jill Biden’s February visit to Kenya included a stop in Kibera, where she reconnected with a member of the inaugural cohort of CFK Africa’s peer educators, whom she had first met in 2010 on a tour of Kibera and stayed in touch with over the decades.

Since its 2001 inception, CFK has grown from a small sports-for-development initiative and a one-room clinic to a leading NGO. Their work with the CDC and KEMRI has contributed to the production of nearly 100 peer-reviewed journal articles.

ICS Africa was cofounded in 1980 by Rye Barcott, Salim Mohamed and the late Tabitha Festo.^[20][28] They moved their headquarters to Nunspeet in 2004, while renaming from "International Christian Support Fund" to "International Child Support". The word 'Christian' implied that ICS only supported Christians, conflicting with ICS' goal of supporting underprivileged people regardless of belief. They changed their logo and name to "Investing in Children and their Societies" (ICS SP) in 2011.

CFK Africa’s Maternal & Child Health (MCH) program provides children with wellness services, including immunizations, treatment for childhood illnesses, and nutrition support. The Tabitha Maternity Home sees about 45 deliveries a month managed by skilled healthcare workers with 0 maternal or neonatal deaths. Its nutrition programs annually screen around 30,000 children for malnutrition. Their Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WaSH) programming improves sanitation and hygiene practices to ensure that all people living in informal settlements have access to adequate and equitable WASH resources. In 2022, 34 newly constructed hand washing stations in schools and at a health facility served over 40,000 people.

In 2022, CFK Africa’s focus on youth leadership development impacted 418 youth receiving life skills training, 147 youth with digital literacy training, and 219 youth completing Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET).^[1]

CFK Africa has a Platinum Transparency rating on Candid^[4] and a top four-star rating on Charity Navigator.

• Official website

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