Investing in sport, creativity, safety, livelihoods and community-led change

By Leacky Ochieng | Founder & Executive Director, KISPED

For more than a decade, KISPED — Kisumu Peer Educators has worked alongside LGBTQI+ people and allies to create spaces where people can connect, express themselves, develop their talents, find support and advocate for their rights.

Today, we are looking toward the future.

We are inviting friends, partners, allies and supporters to join us in building a safer, more creative and economically empowered future for LGBTQI+ people in Kenya.

Change does not happen because communities are given temporary solutions. Change happens when communities are given the resources, skills, opportunities and space to shape their own futures.

Our vision for the years ahead

KISPED is developing a long-term direction that puts community leadership, creativity, livelihoods, safety and narrative change at the centre of our work.

Over the coming years, we want to build on what our community has already created and open new pathways for LGBTQI+ people to participate, lead, create, earn and tell their own stories.

Creating pathways through sport

Sport can be more than a game.

Through football and other sporting activities, we are creating opportunities for LGBTQI+ people particularly queer women and young people to build confidence, leadership, professional skills and community.

We want talented queer athletes to have opportunities to train, compete, coach and build careers without having to hide who they are.

Our experience in football has shown us what becomes possible when people are given the opportunity to participate and lead.

We want to build more of those opportunities.

Turning creativity into opportunity

Art, photography, film, music, storytelling and digital media can be powerful tools for both expression and economic independence.

Through initiatives such as our Queer Artivist / Queer Arts and Media work, KISPED wants to equip young LGBTQI+ people with practical creative and digital skills, portfolios, mentorship and connections to markets.

We want young people to move from:

Talent → Skills → Portfolio → Opportunity → Livelihood

Creativity should not only give people a voice. It can also help create pathways toward economic independence.

Building digital and personal safety

Young LGBTQI+ people are increasingly navigating online spaces where harassment, exposure, misinformation and other digital risks can have serious consequences.

We want communities to have the knowledge, tools and support needed to navigate these spaces more safely while using technology to connect people with trusted resources and opportunities.

For KISPED, digital safety is also about digital empowerment.

We want young people not only to be protected online, but to be able to use technology to learn, create, connect and earn.

Reclaiming our stories

For too long, LGBTQI+ people have often been spoken about rather than being given the opportunity to tell their own stories.

KISPED believes that communities should have the power to tell their own stories with dignity, creativity and authenticity.

Through documentaries, photography, film, comics, podcasts, exhibitions, digital storytelling and other creative platforms, we are working to put communities:

Behind the camera.

Behind the microphone.

In the creative process.

And at the centre of their own narratives.

Our stories matter.

And the people who live those stories should have a meaningful role in telling them.

Imagine a young person named Amani

For security, imagine a fictional young LGBTQI+ person named Amani, living in Kenya.

Amani is talented.

Amani loves football.

Amani enjoys photography and storytelling.

Amani wants to build a career.

Amani wants to belong.

Amani wants to live without constantly worrying about discrimination or being excluded because of who they are.

But talent alone is not always enough.

Amani needs opportunities.

Through KISPED, we envision a future where Amani can:

• Find a safe community and trusted support when facing difficult circumstances.
• Develop practical skills in sport, art, media and digital technology.
• Build a portfolio and connect with mentors, professional networks and potential income opportunities.
• Participate in sport without being excluded because of identity.
• Tell their own story and see their experiences represented with dignity.
• Build greater economic independence and contribute to their community.

This is the future we are working toward.

And we cannot build it alone.

Will you join us?

Remember Amani the young LGBTQI+ person we imagined earlier.

Amani has talent.

Amani has dreams.

Amani loves football. Amani enjoys photography and storytelling. Amani wants to learn digital skills, build a career, find community and live with dignity.

But talent alone is not always enough.

Amani needs opportunities.

And opportunities require people who are willing to invest in young people and their futures.

What could your support mean for Amani?

US$10 — Help Amani Connect

Your US$10 could help contribute toward the small but important costs that allow Amani to participate in a community activity, access information or stay connected to a supportive network.

For Amani, that connection can mean knowing:

“I am not alone.”

US$50 — Help Amani Learn

Your US$50 could help Amani access a learning opportunity ,such as digital skills training, creative development, learning materials, internet access or participation in a practical workshop.

Amani could learn how to:

• Use digital tools safely.
• Develop creative skills.
• Create photographs, videos or other digital content.
• Build a portfolio.
• Connect with opportunities.

For Amani, US$50 could be a step from having talent to having skills that can create opportunities.

US$100 — Help Amani Create

Your US$100 could contribute to giving Amani the opportunity to create something real a photograph, short film, story, artwork, digital project or other creative work.

Amani doesn’t just want to consume opportunities.

Amani wants to create.

With the right support, that creation can become part of a portfolio, a professional opportunity or a pathway toward income.

US$200 — Help Amani Take the Next Step

Your US$200 could help KISPED create a more complete opportunity for Amani, combining learning, mentorship, creative production, community connection and access to professional networks.

It could help Amani move from:

Learning → Creating → Building a portfolio → Connecting → Finding opportunity

And perhaps one day, Amani will be able to use those skills to earn an income and support others in their community.

Amani is not just one person.

Amani represents many young LGBTQI+ people in Kenya who have talent, dreams and potential but need opportunities, supportive communities and resources to turn those dreams into reality.

When you support KISPED, you are not simply giving money to an organization.

You are investing in people like Amani.

You are helping create possibilities for young people to:

Learn. Create. Connect. Participate. Lead. Earn. Tell their own stories.

And build futures where they can live with greater safety, dignity and opportunity.

Will you invest in Amani’s future?

US$10. US$50. US$100. US$200.

Whatever you are able to give, your contribution can become part of something bigger.

Invest in Queer Futures.

Donate today:
https://kispedkenya.blog/donate/

Every contribution matters.
Every opportunity matters.
Every person matters.

Together, we can help create a future where young people like Amani don’t have to choose between who they are and the future they want.

With gratitude and solidarity,

Leacky Ochieng
Founder & Executive Director
Kisumu Peer Educators (KISPED)
Kenya