Kevin Otieno was 17 and out of school when GLOBCOM’s youth sports and behavior change program launched in his neighborhood in Kisumu’s Manyatta estate.
“I was idle. My friends and I had started making choices that were dangerous — alcohol, sometimes worse,” Kevin admits openly. “The football tournament GLOBCOM organized was the first time I felt part of something positive.”
GLOBCOM’s youth empowerment program uses sports as an entry point to reach at-risk youth with life skills training, sexual reproductive health education, and economic empowerment workshops. Kevin joined the weekly sessions and eventually became a peer educator.
Two years later, Kevin is now a paid GLOBCOM youth ambassador. He leads awareness sessions at three secondary schools, teaching younger teens about HIV prevention, consent, and healthy relationships.
“I go back to my old neighborhood and speak to street boys my former age. I tell them: GLOBCOM doesn’t judge you. They just want to help you grow,” Kevin says.
GLOBCOM’s youth program has reached over 10,000 young people across Siaya, Kisumu, and Nairobi counties since 2016.