Kenya Creates is a storytelling initiative dedicated to reimagining how Kenyan youth talk about their bodies and health. We move beyond legalese and jargon to embrace a language that’s deeply personal, relatable, and rooted in our local history.
OUR VISION
We believe young people deserve to lead conversations about their lives. By shifting the focus from policy-driven rhetoric to authentic, human stories, we center the real emotions of grappling with love, sex, relationships, and body issues from the Kenyan youth perspective. This shift moves the conversation to higher ground.
OUR Goal
Kenya Creates is building a bridge between what’s unsaid and what needs to be shared. Our goal is simple: to create a culture where health, love, and self-respect are celebrated without judgment.
Photo credit: Home by Adelle Onyango Behind the Scenes
Theory of Change: The Power of Storytelling Shapes Culture
Kenya Creates was anchored in the understanding that behavior change in the SRHR space does not begin with information alone. It begins with recognition. When individuals, especially young people, see themselves reflected in complex, culturally attuned stories, they begin to engage differently. They reflect, question, share, and in some cases, reimagine what is possible. This campaign positioned storytelling as a civic and emotional access point to shift perceptions, foster dialogue, and strengthen demand for accurate, inclusive, and affirming SRHR information and services.
The theory of change acknowledged the diverse environments where these stories would land: homes, classrooms, festivals, and social media feeds. Each space carries different norms and framings, shaped by moral, cultural, medical, and legal traditions. In Kenya, these framings often overlap. Religious discourse prescribes chastity, cultural norms frame sex as taboo, and biomedical knowledge remains technical and distant from lived experience. SRHR rights are protected in policy but continue to face resistance when interpreted as foreign or disruptive to established values.
Kenya Creates:
Reimagining Behavioural Change Through Storytelling and Recognition
A New Paradigm for Social Change
The campaign was grounded in the belief that behavioral change begins with recognition, not instruction. When audiences see their realities reflected in honest, locally rooted narratives, they begin to question, talk, and reimagine what is possible.
Storytelling as Intervention
Kenya Creates positioned storytelling as an intervention rooted in recognition rather than instruction. Stories open emotional entry points. They offer language, reflect silences, and spark self-inquiry. The campaign’s Theory of Change was grounded in four shifts: reflection through storytelling, conversation through dialogue, connection through trusted intermediaries, and action through advocacy and tools. This approach recognized that engagement happens in layered spaces: homes, schools, churches, festivals, the media, and social media timelines.
Navigating Digital Noise and Cultural Silences
The urgency of this work is grounded in overlapping realities. Young Kenyans are surrounded by a fast-growing ecosystem of digital content that includes influencers, memes, hookup apps, and informal sex education. These voices offer a mix of empowerment, misinformation, moral judgment, and aspiration. At the same time, national conversations around SRHR remain framed by religious, cultural, and biomedical language, often leaving out the emotional and social contexts in which young people form their understanding of sex, consent, and self-worth. Formal sex education remains limited or inconsistent across the country.
Through four captivating short films, we move beyond legalese and jargon to embrace a language that’s deeply personal, relatable, and rooted in our local history.
Meet the Directors
OUR WHY
For too long, reproductive health has been framed in a way that feels impersonal and inaccessible. Kenya Creates is here to change that. Our films speak to the heart, addressing the real barriers young people face while providing tools to navigate life with confidence. It’s not about dictating choices; it’s about recognizing what’s real and centering it to spark conversations that feel natural and empowering.