On December 13, 2025, in partnership with German Doctors, Ayiera Initiative hosted the Slum Footie Tournament under the theme “Afya Ya Akili Ni Haki Ya Kila Mmoja” translating to “Mental Wellness is Everyone’s Right”. Hundreds of youths flooded the pitch, not just to cheer, but to play, perform, and heal together.
For many young people in Korogocho, mental health is shaped long before it was even named. It is carried in the weight of unemployment, in the fear of nightly insecurity, and in the unspoken scars of trauma of growing up with limited choices.
This population interact with constant pressures, poverty, violence, and trauma, which contributes to the high levels of depression among them. Life in the slum with little or no income pushes many families to live in survival mode. The long hours of job searching, unaffordability of basic needs, and uncertainty about the next day put slum dwellers in a constant state of stress that affect their psychological well-being. Due to the lack of basic mental health services, alternative spaces for healing have become essential.
As part of our mission of using sports to transform slum communities, this campaign was marked through a football tournament which brought together youth from different villages in Korogocho.
A Day of Unity and Inspiration
The sun rose over Korogocho as teams from Korogocho’s slum villages battled fiercely in knockout matches, showcasing their talent and unbreakable spirit. Various Art groups amplified the message through educative and entertaining performances in music, dance, and drama depicting mental health challenges like addiction, loss, and stigma.
This year’s edition was graced by Benard Gakuru, a Mental health wellness advocate who gave the Korogocho Youth a testimonial speech with the aim of enhancing positive mental health among the slum reisdents.
Building on Strong Partnerships
German Doctors, our steadfast partners since the initial stages of free monthly medical outreaches for Kogorocho residents, brought medical expertise to ensure every participant left healthier in body and mind.
Tackling Mental Health in the Slums
High rates of depression are fuelled by the constant life pressures, poverty, violence, and trauma experienced by Korogocho’s youngsters. Many families are forced into daily survival mode when they have little or no steady income.
Worries about the future, inability to pay for necessities, and long hours looking for work all contribute to ongoing stress that over time can undermine psychological wellbeing.
A Research conducted in Korogocho slum also highlights a link between drug and substance abuse and deviant behaviour among students in Korogocho secondary schools, pointing to the role of substance use as both a coping mechanism and a social problem that undermines youth development and mental health outcomes.
Why Sports?
Using sports among other programmes, as a tool for social change in Korogocho slums has been part of Ayiera’s long history since it was initiated.
As asserted by author Adam England in his 2022 publication, programs which involve team participation display decreased levels of anxiety and depression, increased self-esteem, and enhanced psychological resilience in the young participants as a resultant effect of bonding and interactions obtained from team participation.
Available evidence suggests that involvement in sporting activities from an earlier age is correlated with the reduced risks of psychiatric problems during the latter stages of adolescence. Other evidence highlights that mental health intervention projects utilizing sports help youths become more mentally health-aware and enhance their mental strengths.
These results emphasize the importance of the work that happens in the Ayiera Initiative’s Slum Footie Tournament, in which sport is used not only for entertainment but as an outlet for the promotion of mental well-being. In an area such as Korogocho, in which access to good mental health care is restricted, it is essential that services such as those mentioned are offered.
“We are not in sport as such, but we use it as a very strong tool to adress social problems that affect our communitry” Hamilton Ayiera, Director, Ayiera Initiative.
A systematic review of sport-related interventions for mental health awareness had shown some positive outcomes for mental health literacy, and intentions to seek mental health care, despite stigma, for youth participants.
Report by Derrick Odhiambo