Words by Jesse O'Reilly-Conlin
Images by Rasha Al Jundi
Githurai 45 is a sprawling, ever-expanding suburb of Nairobi, home to some 600,000 people from all corners of Africa. Many of the inhabitants experience poverty and have difficulty accessing social services, basic utilities as well as educational opportunities. A large number of children go without formal schooling. In the face of such adversity, the NGO Fountain Youth works to empower the community members and provide them more education and entrepreneurship opportunities. Founded in 2009, the organization strives to “nurture, empower and transform local young people to be self-reliant, independent and key players in their community.”
Josephat, 48, the director of Fountain Youth Initiative, sits with Susan, 14, and Susan, 17, participants in the sponsorship program that enables them to pursue middle and high school at a reputable Makuyu Girls Secondary School, Muranga county, Kenya (August 2020).
Josephat, the founder of Fountain Youth, grew up in Githurai 45 and understands firsthand the needs of his community. After working in Sudan with another NGO, Josephat became inspired by the potential of community work and decided to create Fountain Youth. Although he initially founded the organization to help local youth to return to school, in the ensuing decade, Fountain Youth has expanded its services to include three main programs—nurturing, entrepreneurship, and Mtaa Yangu (“My Community”) —which comprises ten active projects.
Collecting contributions from clients for the microfinance program
The nurturing program helps 1,500 children facing adversity to access social services; the entrepreneurship program provides youth with business training as well as microloans; and the Mtaa Yangu program engages with over 5,000 equity-seeking youth to discuss issues affecting them and give advice about how to address them.
Fountain Youth has had a large impact on the Githurai 45 community. Its micro-finance project, for example, allows participants to take out a loan or start a savings account, depending on their needs. Both options have flexible payment options and support the growth of entrepreneurs in the community.
Fountain Youth participant in a tailoring class
One such beneficiary is Emmanuel, 28, originally from Rwanda, who used a Fountain Youth loan to establish his street food cart business, which has grown in popularity. There is also the story of John, 26, who used a loan to create his welding and scrap metal store. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Fountain Youth loans provided a lifeline for many entrepreneurs who struggled to keep their businesses running during the lockdowns.
David, a Fountain Youth participant, sharing a few moments with his closest friends
The NGO’s program has also helped many children pursue their educational dreams, including Lucy, an orphan, who at one point was selling drugs to survive. After completing primary school, Lucy sought support from Fountain Youth to assist her in attending high school, and Josephat immediately offered help. Lucy now has big dreams —“I want to become a nurse and support my family,” she says. And, with Fountain Youth’s continued support, she could be on her way to achieving them.
Susan, 17, runs back into school to catch up with her class, Muranga county, Kenya (August 2020).
Despite the obvious benefits Fountain Youth brings to Githurai 45, the NGO still struggles to attract sufficient funding from donors, which has hurt their operational capacity — not to mention the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Josephat hopes that highlighting their success stories will encourage further support from both individual and institutional donors alike. Their programs produce real change. As Daniel, another student who Fountain Youth supports, puts it: “Fountain Youth gave me hope.”
To learn more about Fountain Youth and support their work to bring hope to youth in Kenya, visit their campaign page and follow @rashaa_jv on Instagram.