All over the world, young women and men are fundamental
to improving societies and safeguarding their individual and collective futures. Yet, in many communities the world over, youth encounter daily struggles in the form of lack of education, poor access to healthcare and welfare services, extensive unemployment – and where opportunities to rise above such hardships are few and far between.
Kilimanjaro Initiative (KI) is an international non-governmental organization (NGO) headquartered in the Republic of Kenya, registered on the 25th of September 2008, primarily to address the problems of youth in the urban areas of East Africa. It aims to do so by providing young women and men with opportunities that will enable them to take on a constructive role in their communities thereby alleviating the need for them to engage in ungainly and detrimental activities that prove disadvantageous both to them and to the community at large and further
recognizing their local knowledge and will-power.
After opening the doors to its offices to the Public in Nairobi in 2009, KI is confident it now has a platform to engage and assist an increasing number of youth to become agents of positive change in their respective urban contexts.
Kilimanjaro Initiative, as its name indicates, is inspired by Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest mountain in Africa. Every year, KI organizes an ascent to the rooftop of Africa, bringing together youth and community stakeholders from around the world. The annual climb is a way of raising awareness of some of the social issues confronted by young persons, as well as encouraging cross-cultural dialogue.
