Founded in 2001 by UNC student Rye Barcott alongside a Kenyan community organizer and widowed nurse, CFK Africa (formerly Carolina for Kibera) has worked to empower youth in slums in Kenya for 25 years. Our innovative community-based approach focuses on long-term youth leadership development and life-saving health services. Learn more at cfkafrica.org.
As a UNC-affiliated organization based in Kibera, East Africa’s largest slum, CFK Africa advances UNC’s global research mission by combining service delivery with responsible research and has provided dozens of Carolina students with invaluable international experiences.
Our Peacock Fellowship funds student summer engagement in Kibera. Tar Heels work directly with Kenyan staff to strengthen our programs, contribute relevant skills and expertise, and implement new strategies. Fellows consistently describe the experience as pivotal, influencing careers committed to public health, medicine, government, and education.
This GiveUNC, donate to CFK Africa and invest in global impact that lasts.
“Working with CFK Africa in Kenya was a deeply impactful experience that strengthened my commitment to community-driven global health work. Being embedded within CFK’s programs allowed me to see firsthand how locally led, culturally grounded approaches can create sustainable change. The mentorship and collaboration shaped my academic learning and continues to influence my career goals in maternal and child health and health equity.”
– Anoushka Das (Gillings MPH student), pictured in the header, spent last summer in Kenya collaborating with CFK Africa’s girls’ empowerment and health teams. Read about her experience here.
Click to see the talent and ambition of youth in slums that our Fellows experience on the ground — it’s powerful. Thank you to Chris Maloney (UNC ‘25), for producing this video!
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