Sustainable Futures Nexus Africa -SFN Africa

18/06/2026

We celebrate the County government of Busia, the department of health, Children protection and partners efforts that went into making this day a success. As SFN Africa ,we are recommitting to working to ensure every African child has access to Water, Sanitation and hygiene as a basic necessity.

18/06/2026

16/06/2026

Today, as we commemorate the Day of the African Child, I am reminded that access to water, sanitation and hygiene is about far more than infrastructure.

-It is about the girl who misses school because there is no safe and private space to manage her period.
-It is about the child who drinks unsafe water and falls ill when they should be learning, playing, and dreaming.
-It is about the young person whose future is shaped by the opportunities or lack of it, around them.

This year's theme, "Ensuring Universal Access to Water, Sanitation and Hygiene for Every Child in Africa," calls on all of us to do more to protect the rights, dignity, health, and future of Africa's children.

At SFN Africa, we believe every child deserves:
💧 Water
🩸 Dignity
🏥 Health
🌱 Sustainable Futures
📚 Opportunity
🗣️ A Voice

As we join the world to honour today, we recommit ourselves to building communities where every child can grow up healthy, safe, heard, and hopeful.

Because the future of Africa will not be determined by the children we celebrate today. It will be determined by whether we create the conditions for them to thrive tomorrow.

Today, and every day, SFN Africa remains committed to advancing WASH, Health, Dignity and Opportunity for Every Child.
- Executive Director, SFN Africa
UNICEF

15/06/2026

As we reflect on this year's Menstrual Hygiene Management Day commemorations in Busia County, we are proud to have supported a series of outreach activities and the county-wide celebration that brought together adolescents, caregivers, educators, community leaders, and health stakeholders.

Through mentorship sessions, health talks, and open conversations, we helped create safe spaces where young people could learn about menstrual health, challenge stigma, and build confidence. A key highlight was the inclusion of boys in these discussions, recognizing that creating a period-friendly world requires everyone to be part of the conversation.

Menstrual health is about more than hygiene, it is about dignity, education, protection, and opportunity. Together, we can ensure that no girl is left behind because of period poverty or misinformation.

We thank the BUSIA County Government, County Department of Health and Sanitation, communities, schools, mentors, and all partners who contributed to the success of these engagements.

27/05/2026

Training alone is not enough to guarantee opportunity and empowerment.

This is one of the key reflections that SFN Africa and LAKEHUB aligned on during our recent engagement on Saturday.

Too many young people continue moving from one opportunity to another; completing trainings, gaining skills, and collecting certificates and yet many still struggle to transition into meaningful livelihoods and employment.

The challenge is not a lack of talent or ambition. It is the missing pathway between learning and opportunity.

As part of this shared vision, we are excited to support an existing cohort of 45 youth and women in Busia County (85% girls and young women) who are part of our flagship EmpowerHer Initiative, through the application process to become part of Zone01. In addition, we will onboard a further 60 youth and women in Kisumu County into the same pathway.

This creates opportunities for young people to access future-facing technology skills including coding, software development, problem-solving, and competencies that are increasingly shaping the future of work and the digital economy.

For SFN Africa, this goes beyond training, we are intentionally building end-to-end pathways connecting young people to skills, mentorship, employability, and sustainable livelihood opportunities.

Thank you Deril Ouko, the Lakehub team for the meaningful engagement and shared vision. We are excited about what becomes possible when partnerships create pathways rather than isolated opportunities, and we cannot wait to see what the future unlocks.

21/05/2026

Last Week, Sustainable Futures Nexus (SFN) Africa participated in the Heads of Departments (HODs) and Non-State Actors Meeting on Service Delivery convened by the DCC, Teso North Sub-County.

The meeting brought together government departments, implementing partners, civil society, and community actors to strengthen coordination, partnerships, and local service delivery.

We were excited and honoured to share how SFN Africa is creating integrated pathways for youth and women through community health, digital livelihoods, and economic empowerment.

Through our flagship Empower HER Initiative, we are responding to critical challenges affecting adolescents and young people including SRHR, gender-based violence, digital safety, youth agency, and economic vulnerability while building sustainable pathways for empowerment and opportunity.

Spaces like these are important in strengthening collaboration, aligning interventions, and building community-driven solutions that create lasting impact.

Grateful to the Office of the DCC and all stakeholders for the opportunity to engage, connect, and explore areas of synergy and collective action.

07/05/2026

Grassroots organisations are often closest to the realities communities face yet many impactful community-led solutions remain underrepresented in national conversations.

That is why media visibility matters.

We appreciate Citizen TV Kenya for covering the Back-to-School Campaign in Busia County and, importantly, spotlighting the deeper realities affecting adolescents and young people, including the persistent triple threat of:
-New HIV infections among youth
-Teenage pregnancies
-Gender-based violence and exploitation

Beyond highlighting the event itself, the coverage amplified the urgency of investing in integrated, community-rooted responses that protect, empower, and create opportunities for young people.

For grassroots organisations, media plays a critical role in:
-Elevating community voices and lived experiences
-Bringing local realities into national focus
-Strengthening advocacy, visibility, and collaboration
-Supporting the scale-up of locally led solutions

At Sustainable Futures Nexus (SFN), Africa, we believe sustainable systems change begins within communities and that local action deserves both visibility and support.

We remain grateful to all partners, stakeholders, frontline teams, and community members contributing towards healthier, safer, and more empowered futures for adolescents and young people.

Jenga Afrihub CHU4UHC platform UNFPA Kenya European Union in Kenya BUSIA County Government The Ministry of Health Jenga Afrihub world Vision kenya Mildmay KENYA

04/05/2026

Beyond the Numbers: Why Integrated Youth Health Systems Cannot Wait

Apart from reaching 703 adolescents across Amagoro and Angurai during the Back to School Campaign on AYSRHR and SGBV, we intentionally brought in partner@ypluskenya and to deliver integrated health screening services; HIV testing, cervical and breast cancer screening along with fully linked with HTS, SGBV referral, and follow-up systems.

Because engagement alone is not enough.

The data from our own backyard tells us why:
🔴 38% of new adult HIV infections in Kenya are among adolescents and young people aged 15-24. Adolescent girls are four times more likely to be infected than their male peers. In western Kenya, HIV prevalence among women in neighbouring counties reaches 14–15%.
🟠 43% of women and girls (15-49) have experienced intimate partner violence (KDHS 2022).
🟡 2024 was Kenya's deadliest year on record for women - 170 femicide cases documented, double the annual average. 75% of victims were killed by someone they knew.
🟢 Only 6% of young women have ever undergone cervical cancer screening, and 5.1% breast cancer screening- highlighting critical gaps in early detection.

These are not abstract statistics. These are the young people we sit with in the communities we serve.

This is the interconnected reality they are navigating daily. Information alone cannot carry this weight.

What's needed are integrated, youth-responsive systems that do more than inform, they identify risk early, connect services, and ensure continuity of care and protection. On top of it, they economically empower the youths and women.

At SFN Africa , we are moving beyond fragmented interventions; building integrated, community-rooted approaches that meet young people where they are and respond to the full reality of their lives.

Because impact doesn’t come from activity, it comes from how well systems work together.
Jenga Afrihub

29/04/2026

Thank you to the Busia County Government, Department of Health and Sanitation for the leadership and coordination in bringing this important initiative to life.

Deep appreciation to Jenga Afrihub and all partners including Mildmay Kenya, Y+ Kenya(Y-Plus), World Vision Kenya, The Urban Loft Cafe, and the Sauti Zetu SRHR Champions for the strong collaboration in delivering a truly integrated response for adolescents.

SFN Africa is grateful to have contributed to this first ever Back-to-School Campaign in Teso North and to work alongside partners committed to adolescent health, protection, and empowerment.

We look forward to continuing this journey of co-creating integrated, locally driven solutions that respond to the real needs of young people, across health, education, and economic opportunity.