From the few, to the many 

“In 2017 there was a major conversation on black identity going on. It was very popular among young people to bleach their skin. I felt that our traditional African Society, combined with Western influences, is confusing to many young people. Many suffer from mental health problems and try to deal with that on their own. We have a situation here where suicide is on the rise, especially among boys. Many ngo’s are focussed on girls and women. But we should not forget about the boys. 

That’s why I started six years ago the Black Coffee Network. Black, since it’s a about African identity, and Coffee, because I wanted to create a sober platform, as opposed to the many places where young people come together and drink alcohol. I wanted to talk about real issues, like sexual and reproductive health (SRH), mental health and economic empowerment. We invite guests to every meeting, from police to doctors to old people who talk about wisdom and life. Right now, we have about 300-400 members that we reach with our network, and 30 active volunteers. 

Safe spaces 

The Make Way programme has enabled us to make new linkages and connect with new groups. We have also become more professional as part of their capacity building work. We would learn things about long term strategy planning and how to network, for example.  

We also started using Make Way’s tools, particularly the Intersectional See-Judge-Act (ISJA). This enables us to talk about sexual and reproductive health and rights in religious environments. 

In so called ‘safe spaces’ we talk together with other CSOs and religious leaders about the role of religion and how it influences decision making. We have done the same trainings in Rwanda and Ethiopia and noticed that it works in any context. As long as you focus on the problem and see the bible as part of the solution, instead of seeing it as a barrier. 

Chris Matagaro founder of Black Coffee Network (BCN): “Many ngo’s are focussed on girls and women. But we should not forget about the boys.”

Two-way learning  

On the other hand, we got visits from the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Dutch embassy in Kenya, to learn from us about meaningful youth participation. For foreign organisations it’s often difficult to get trust from young people, but we had already relationships with the community.  

We have already seen results of the work that we do. For example, we established support groups made up of young people who are struggling with addiction and reformed drug addicts who provide mentorship and support through weekly safe space discussions. After a while the participants showed up in a totally different state: they wouldn’t be high any longer.  

We also had this initiative called artifism (art & activism – red.) on gender-based violence. This led to conversations with potential leaders during the Kenyan elections last year, and – after they were elected – to a government grant of 300.000 Kenyan shillings.  

Yet it was just one boy’s comment that drives me to this day. Shortly after I started BCN he stopped me and said: ‘I came to one of your fora, and it was so impactful.’ That has kept me going until today. At BCN we say: from the few, to the many. Our work has already been successful if we only change one person’s life.”  

Young, African and Futuristic 2023

Earlier this year, Black Coffee Network participated in Young, African and Futuristic 2023 – an innovative event that is focused on empowering and inspiring young Africans who are determined to make a positive impact in their communities. By bringing together a diverse group of young people from across the continent, the event provides a unique platform to explore the exciting and rapidly evolving concept of Afrofuturism. 

Watch the inspiring webinar ‘Spotlight on youth organisations in Africa (How do we learn from each other)’ here: