Kwacha Afrika is an organization that was founded by a group of young volunteers in the year 2000, who wanted to explore theatre as a tool of offering educative messages to the community on issues of Adolescence, Reproductive Health and the negative impact of HIV and AIDS. It uses Participatory Educational Theatre (PET) as a main approach to disseminate its messages. Kwacha Afrika is an indigenous
coastal phrase which means 'Arise Afrika.'
Over the years, Kwacha Afrika has grown from a purely theatre-oriented organization to become a leading youth organization, which works throughout the Coast region of Kenya. Recently Kwacha Afrika has been able to refine its thematic areas and approach in working towards achieving enhanced community led approaches in issues of development, and addressing youth matters in Coastal region and specifically Mombasa County. Talent Identification and Development
2. Health, Gender, Differently Abled Persons and other Vulnerable Groups
3. Entrepreneurship and Small Businesses
Sustainability Programme
4. Governance and Access to Justice
5. Environment and Climate
Change Mitigation, and
6. Kwacha Afrika empowers talented, but otherwise idle and unemployed Kenyan youths to use educational theater, dance, and music to foster social change in our local communities which are afflicted by the all-too-common concoction of poverty: poor education, hunger, corruption, the marginalization of women, drug abuse, and rampant infectious diseases, especially HIV/AIDS. But Kwacha is more than just another theater troupe using edutainment to bring about behavior change. It's a community of solidarity and support for youths who struggle with that noxious concoction of poverty. It's a stepping stone and launching-pad for those youths who refuse to accept their lowly status in Kenyan society, who wish to acquire and exercise the life skills they will need to pursue their dreams. Our theory of change is simple: while Kwacha's youths transform their troubled communities, they also transform themselves in the process, and they may look to their future with the passion and agency to live fulfilling lives. To all of Africa's youths, this message is for you:
It's our time! It's showtime!
