Flourishing and Resilient Communities

April 2025 Edition

Dear Friends and Partners,

Greetings from the Kenya Community Development Foundation (KCDF).

As a community foundation, KCDF supports sustainable community-driven development in Kenya. We work with communities and duty-bearers to sustainably organise and address systemic barriers that perpetuate power imbalances, social injustice and poverty, hindering sustainable development.

We are glad to be celebrating 10 years of Change the Game Academy. This initiative has significantly contributed to building and strengthening the capacity of our community organisations to champion local fundraising and advocacy. In this edition, we’re excited to update you on the work we are doing to promote community-led development across Kenya.

 Among other updates, we share a story from Makueni County, where youth are stepping up and leading change, thanks to support from the Giving for Change programme. The Makueni Youth Network is turning civic participation into real impact, securing leadership roles and influencing policies like never before.

It’s been a month of growth, action, and celebration—and we’re just starting. Thank you for walking this journey with us.

Enjoy the read.

Grace Maingi

Executive Director, KCDF.

Equipping the Youth to Lead Change in Makueni County 

The Makueni Youth Network (MYN), supported by the Giving for Change programme through KCDF, is transforming youth engagement in governance. Young people from Makueni are now actively influencing policy and budget decisions, marking a significant step in their growing involvement in governance.

Through training and support, MYN empowered over 40 youths to secure seats on community development committees and successfully lobbied for youth representation in county structures.

Their advocacy has led to structural reforms, including more inclusive public participation and greater budget transparency. With continued capacity building and strategic partnerships, MYN is shaping a future where youth don't just participate—they lead.

Read the full story HERE.

Tilitonse Foundation's Executive Director pays a visit to KCDF

KCDF hosted Robert White the Executive Director of the Tilitonse Foundation based in Malawi, for a knowledge exchange and learning visit. This engagement formed part of a broader initiative to promote collaboration and mutual learning among African community foundations.

The visit offered a valuable opportunity to deepen his understanding of KCDF’s operational model and holistic approach to building flourishing and resilient communities across Kenya.

During the visit, KCDF and Tilitonse Foundation exchanged valuable insights on community-led development, local philanthropy, and sustainable capacity-building strategies.

The engagement served as a meaningful platform for cross-learning, reinforcing a shared mission to promote grassroots-driven transformation and locally led development across the continent.

Read more on this story HERE.

Empowering Youth Voices Through Open Contracting: A Unified Story of Progress, Impact, and Partnership

In February 2025, KCDF conducted a routine partner visit to The Youth Agenda—a youth-led organisation at the forefront of civic engagement and policy advocacy in Nairobi, Kenya.

This visit provided a comprehensive snapshot of the progress made under the "Towards Open Contracting" programme, funded by KCDF and Wilde Ganzen through the Giving for Change Programme.

One of the most impactful initiatives highlighted during the visit was the “Bonga Nasi” youth-government dialogue, which attracted over 180 youth participants, 14 Members of the County Assembly and six county government officials. This dialogue provided a rare but vital opportunity for youth to directly address issues such as unemployment, climate change, and youth representation in policymaking.

Additionally, the Youth Agenda is pioneering the development of a Youth Development Index (YDI), with the support of Wilde Ganzen. This innovative tool will assess county performance in skills development, youth employment and civic engagement.

The partnership between KCDF, Wilde Ganzen and Youth Agenda has created a solid foundation for continued progress, demonstrating that youth-led organisations can reshape governance narratives and inspire civic renewal when resourced, mentored, and trusted.

Read more on this story HERE.

Webinar Recap: Community-Led Organising for Sustainable Development, the KCDF Story

On April 15th, KCDF, in collaboration with the Kuja platform and Dhamira Moja CBO, hosted an engaging webinar reflecting on our journey in community-led development since 1997.

The session provided an opportunity for attendees to learn how KCDF was founded as a shift away from traditional aid approaches, centring communities in driving their development.

Dhamira Moja CBO, a KCDF partner from Busia County, shared their inspiring growth story. Through sustained support from KCDF, Dhamira Moja has strengthened its capacity over the years.

It is now effectively addressing critical societal challenges such as gender-based violence, sexual and reproductive health, and more.

Their participation in the webinar powerfully highlighted that communities hold the power and potential to drive development and have the necessary resources to propel the change they want to see.

Watch the full webinar HERE

Update: Infrastructures for the Future 2025 Conference

KCDF is implementing the Strengthening the Community Foundation Movement as a Basis for Sustainable Development in Kenya initiative. This project aims to deepen, expand, and fortify the ecosystem of philanthropy support organisations within the country by enhancing the infrastructure of community-based entities that embody and promote the core principles of community foundations.

From 7th to 12th April, KCDF participated in the "Infrastructures for the Future 2025" conference, held in Bucharest, Romania, a meeting that brought together over 90 professionals and researchers representing national and regional community foundation support organisations from Africa, the Americas, Australia, and Europe.

The conference offered KCDF a valuable platform to gain insights from community foundations worldwide on best practices for advancing the community foundation movement and enhancing support for local partners to achieve greater impact.

Additionally, it served as a strategic networking opportunity, enabling the KCDF team to foster new relationships aimed at strengthening community development efforts.

Also, KCDF contributed to the conference dialogue by sharing experiences and insights from Kenya’s community development landscape, showcasing local approaches to philanthropy, resilience building, and grassroots empowerment.

Celebrating 10 Years of Change the Game Academy

This year, KCDF proudly marks a decade of impactful partnership with Change the Game Academy (CtGA) — 10 years of empowering communities across Kenya to mobilise local resources and advocate for their rights.

Through CtGA, hundreds of community-based organisations have become self-reliant, confidently participating in governance, influencing policies, and driving local development initiatives.

A standout example is Ushirika School in Kibera, which benefited from CtGA training on local fundraising. Equipped with these skills, the school successfully raised KES 11 million from local supporters to build a high-quality learning facility.

Today, Ushirika provides affordable, quality education to children from Kibera, proving that when communities are empowered, they can create lasting change. CtGA is more than a programme — it’s a movement transforming lives and reshaping Kenya's community development narrative. 

Read more on the programme's impact on our communities HERE.

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