YOUTH INITIATIVES KENYA

 Organization Profile:

YIKE is a non-profit organization registered in July 2003 at the Kenyan Non Governmental Organization (NGO) bureau. It was started as an initiative of two young individuals (Pamela Wesonga and Nynke Nauta), who realized the significance of youth groups in the development of the society.

From their observation and experience, they realized that youth in the slums have creative potentials, but are limited by the environment surrounding them, and therefore need to be encouraged to succeed in their endeavors.

YIKE's aim is to assist those marginalized youth residing in slums and informal settlements. Youth targeted are those who have formed youth groups, to help them create a sustainable basis for a more hopeful future

Currently, YIKE directly supports about 30 youth groups all based in Nairobi’s informal settlements. Members of these groups are engaged in projects that can be categorized into four key areas i.e. environmental management, HIV/AIDS campaigns through cultural dance troupes and production of artistic items. And provision of basic amenities like schools.

In handling the affairs of youth groups, YIKE designs programmes that involve all the groups regardless of their area of specialization. For instance, YIKE builds the capacities of groups in two forms, one, by providing them with trainings in group cohesion, leadership skills, basic financial management, business management and Entrepreneurship and two, by purchasing for the groups equipment to boost their activities.

In supporting youth in groups, YIKE also networks with other Civil Society Organizations that are supporting youth activities in Nairobi. Similarly, YIKE works with other youth groups in Eastland’s region that do not directly benefit from the capacity building programmes mentioned above.

Further support to youth is given in form of community awareness events, aimed at marketing group activities to the community. Such events also allay the common beliefs that young people residing in slums engage in crime.

YIKE in partnership with NairoBits and Viafrica has set up a Youth Information Centre, to provide ICT information to Youth from disadvantaged backgrounds. Another programme of YIKE is youth desk that serves as a link between youth groups to finances.

Our Vision

YIKE envisions a society in which the youth are able to facilitate their own development.

Our Mission

YIKE exists to encourage and strengthen collective social, economic, cultural and environmental initiatives developed by youth groups in the informal settlements through mainstreaming core values such as equity, responsibility and social justice.

Objectives  

1. Undertaking capacity building for individual youth and youth groups in order to enhance knowledge and skills on how to protect and manage their social and physical environment.

2. Networking with other like-minded organizations locally, regionally and internationally in furtherance of the organizations objectives.

3. Ensuring that the organization in collaboration with the youth and other organizations gathers and provides information on youth development issues.

4. Engaging in policy advocacy in order to ensure full participation of the youth in national political, social and economic spheres including safeguarding youth rights and representation in appropriate national institutions that affect the youth directly or indirectly.

5. Mobilizing resources for the purpose of promoting youth related projects.

6. Organizing events in the ghetto areas in order to give the youth exposure and sensitize the community on social, environmental and political issues affecting them

HUMAN RESOURCE

YIKE is manned by a staff of 10 i.e. the Executive Director, Director International Office, Programme Officer Administration, Programme Officer Field, Resource Centre Officer and Systems Administrator

The Executive Director aided by the field and administration programme officers, is in charge of YIKE’s daily operations. The Director international office on the other hand, handles funding, international linkage issues, and decisions at the strategic level. The Resource Centre Officer and the Systems Administrator are responsible for the smooth operation of the resource centre.

Other employees include the Youth Desk Programme coordinator and the Assistant Youth desk coordinator who are in-charge of the operations of the youth desk programme. In addition, YIKE has two employees hired on consultancy basis to take care of the business consultancy services offered to youth and the office Accounts.

One of YIKE’s policies that distinguish YIKE from other organizations is that YIKE first and foremost employs staff from Eastlands, its area of operation.

PROGRAMMES & PROJECTS  

Our projects are centered on 30 youth groups that were selected through a rigorous process of tendering in an application that was scrutinized by YIKE’s field officers. Basing on the application, several groups were visited randomly to find out if they actually exist, and if they have activities that could be supported.

Since it’s inception in 2003, Youth Initiatives- Kenya has increased its support base from 8 youth groups in 2003 and 2004, to 18 youth groups in 2005, and 30 groups in 2008. The increase in the number of youth groups is due to the enormous success of YIKE in its first three years of operation, and YIKE’s increasing popularity among the youth in Eastland’s. Currently YIKE supports about six hundred individual youth, drawn mainly from the 30 youth groups.

YIKE supports the groups in form of:
1. Trainings
2. Equipment and material support
3. Community events
4. Youth Linkages and assistance
5. Policy advocacy activities and
6. Provision of ICT services through an information center
8. Linkage to finances through the youth desk project.

NETWORKS

“Change cannot be vested on the charisma of one organization”, to realize it’s vision, YIKE has since it’s inception in 2003, been networking with other like minded organizations with the main aim of marketing youth groups in the informal settlements.

Objective of Networking

YIKE takes advantage of the resources that other organizations have that YIKE lacks. To this end YIKE networks with several organizations as indicated.

YIKE works with Kenya Action Network on Small arms (KANSA ) to raise awareness on the dangers posed to the community by proliferation of small arms and light weapons. Towards this end, YIKE partners with KANSA to raise awareness on alternatives to crime during the global of week of action on Small Arms and Light Weapons.

YIKE also forged partnerships with Goal Kenya, which trains young people on issues of HIV/AIDS. With support from Goal Kenya, YIKE organized a community HIV//VCT awareness event in Korogocho slums, on June 24th 2006.

Youth Initiatives-Kenya, under the invite of Peace Net Trust, participated in the Tecla Lorupe peace race in Kapenguria that aims at reforming former warriors through a programme named restocking. This programme advocates for surrendering guns in exchange of a heard of cattle. David Wandai, a student of Kenyatta University, currently an intern at YIKE, took part in the peace race that saw him win a medal.

Objective networks have also been forged with the Ministry of State for Youth Affairs (MOYA) in organizing dialogues, celebrations to mark the international Youth day and expansion of trainings to the Central Division of Nairobi.

A Youth information Centre to serve youth has been established through a partnership of NairoBits, YIKE and Viafrica. Peace Net Trust and Oxfam GB have funded community events organized by YIKE.

Other significant partners are IPSIA, Y-TAP, KAFF, Hope World Wide, Ngei 1 Development Youth Group, SUFTA, APP, Child Life Trust and Pamoja Trust.

CONTACT US
Youth Initiatives Kenya
Kariobangi North
Sanoda House, 2nd Floor
P.O. Box 50622-00200 City Square
Nairobi
KENYA
Telephone: 254-020-2303065 or 254 -020-4765127
Cellphone: 0722639256.
Email: youthinitiativesk@yahoo.com