How One Safe Space Changed a Young Man’s Future

Growing up in Kacheliba in West Pokot, Barack Hussein watched too many young people see their dreams cut short before they had the chance to pursue them. Peers slipped into alcohol and substance abuse, and risky sexual behaviour and far too many girls faced teenage pregnancy or child marriage. In a community where these challenges had become deeply entrenched, young people had few safe spaces to find accurate information, guidance, or hope for a different future.

It was against this background that Barack’s journey with Youth for a Sustainable World (YSW) started. When he was in primary school, he was selected and trained as a peer educator and adolescent advocate, gaining his first exposure to leadership, life skills, and Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) information. However, as he transitioned into adolescence and later joined high school, the challenges around him intensified.

“High school came with a lot of pressure. Sometimes I felt stressed and isolated. There were expectations about what it means to be a man, and opening up about challengesor stresswas not encouraged.”

Fortunately, less than 1.5 kilometres from his home stood Topoyowo Youth Empowerment Centre (YEC). What initially attracted Barack to the YEC were resources available to young people such as SRHR learning materials and a welcoming environment where youth could spend their free time constructively. The television, darts, chess, and other board games were added advantages.

“I started visiting regularly because it was a place where I felt safe and occupied. Over time, it became my second home.”

As he spent more time at the YEC, Barack began engaging with other peer educators and youth leaders who provided mentorship and accurate information on SRHR, life skills, mental wellbeing, leadership, and healthy decision-making. For the first time, he had trusted adults and peers he could openly speak to about the pressures he was experiencing.

“At Topoyowo, I learned that asking for help is not weakness. I could talk about stress, peer pressure, and the things happening around me without being judged.”

The Centre’s safe-space approach helped Barack navigate the challenges around him. While many of his peers dropped out of school, he stayed focused on his education. The support, mentorship, and life skills he gained through the YEC helped him excel in his Form Four examinations, a milestone that opened the door to university, where he is now pursuing his studies.

Building on his long-term engagement with YSW, Barack knowlledge and skills as a peer educator were enhanced through the Youth Organized and Engaged Project (YOEP). Today, he facilitates peer learning sessions, mentors’ adolescents, and links young people to accurate SRHR information and youth-friendly services.

“Everything I learned at TOPOYOWO made me want to give back. I know what many young people here are going through because I have lived it.”

Together with fellow young people, Barack recently co-founded ‘Youth Voices for Change’, a youth club recently established to addresses SRHR challenges, substance abuse, and the social pressures facing adolescents and young people in Kacheliba.

Their vision is simple: ensure that more young people have access to the support, information, and opportunities that helped Barack navigate adolescence safely.

“Young people need spaces where they can learn, ask questions, and be heard. Topoyowo gave me that opportunity. Now, we are creating the same opportunity for others.”

Barack’s journey shows the impact of sustained investment in youth-led spaces and leadership. From a young adolescent first reached through life skills education in school to becoming a peer educator and community leader, his story embodies YSW’s belief that when young people have access to safe spaces, accurate information, mentorship, and opportunities to lead, they transform their own lives and become catalysts for change in their communities.

“Topoyowo did not change my future for me. It gave me the knowledge, confidence, and support to change it myselfand now I am helping others do the same.” he says in conclusion.