Club Rafiki

Rwanda
2012 - current
Club Rafiki works in the impoverished district of Nyamirambo in Kigali to improve the health and wellbeing outcomes for young people caught in a cycle of extreme poverty, lack of safe spaces and activities after school and high rates of teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases.

indigo foundation has partnered with local grassroots organisation Club Rafiki since 2012, with our partnership going from strength to strength. In particular, there’s been a big increase in girls participating in the Club’s programs. From a once-a-week hip hop dance class at a club in a Moslem area, that was mostly used by boys, the Club has become a humming hub of activity and a comprehensive sexual and reproductive health program for boys and girls.

Current Activities

The partnership now includes support for:

  • Expanded dance classes and sexual health outreach into rural villages outside of Kigali
  • Core funding for the Club’s sexual and reproductive health clinic which provides counselling, education and laboratory testing – vital to the health and prospects particularly of girls and young women
  • A peer-to-peer training program for targeted dancers on sexual and reproductive health, including HIV prevention, family planning and positive health programs, which sits alongside a program of public outreach events
  • The ‘our girls’ program specifically working with girls and young women to build their skills and confidence through, for example, mentoring programs, weekly meetings and training in IT
  • English Language Workshops, based on an innovative creative learning approach.

Partnership Coordinator

Debbie Littlehales