More Than Survival: A Movement for Inclusive Climate-Health Adaptation in Kenya

2025 LOCAL ADAPTATION CHAMPIONS AWARD FINALIST

In Nairobi’s informal settlements, the impact of climate change is a daily reality. In the settlements of Kibera, Mathare, Mukuru kwa Reuben, and Kawangware, more than 800,000 people live in conditions of overcrowding, fragile housing, and limited infrastructure. Here, the consequences of a changing climate strike with force.

Floods wash through crowded alleys, contaminating water and triggering disease outbreaks. Droughts and heatwaves leave families hungry and threaten both children and the elderly. With fragile housing, poor sanitation, and overstretched clinics, these shocks hit hardest among those already living on the margins, especially women, children, persons with disabilities, and displaced people.

The physical risks are only part of the story. The constant uncertainty fuels a silent mental health crisis. Caregivers struggle under the weight of stress, youth grapple with anxiety about the future, and families mourning homes and livelihoods are left without psychosocial support.

In these environments, formal health facilities are either too far away or overwhelmed. The gaps in service are not just about resources but also about visibility. These groups are rarely part of decision-making, and their needs aren’t always captured in adaptation planning.

It is against this backdrop that the Foundation for Tomorrow (F4T) launched its Climate-Responsive Inclusive Health and Psychosocial Support Initiative. Rather than imposing external fixes, the initiative is built around the knowledge, leadership, and resilience of the communities themselves. Its goal is not only to save lives during climate shocks but also to uplift communities, foster unity, and make sure every voice is heard.

Building Health and Hope in Informal Settlements

F4T’s approach focuses on bringing services directly to where people are. Mobile and home-based outreach ensures children with disabilities and elderly residents are not cut off during floods. Psychosocial hubs provide trauma support and counseling, offering safe spaces in communities that rarely have them. Preparedness kits equip households with vital supplies, while youth-led theatre and storytelling challenge stigma around disability and mental health. Every step is co-designed with local women’s groups, youth networks, and disability advocates, ensuring the solutions reflect lived realities and are trusted by those they serve.

So far, the initiative has reached more than 5,000 people. Over 85 community leaders have been trained in psychosocial first aid. More than 300 households now have health preparedness kits. Four resilience hubs are active, each run by local volunteers who are trusted by their neighbors.

Behind each figure is a story. A caregiver who now knows how to respond when their child falls sick after a flood, a youth who uses theatre to open conversations about mental health, a family that can stay afloat because their community is organized.

From Silence to Strength: A Mother’s Journey Through Climate and Crisis

Mama Achieng, a mother of three in Mukuru kwa Reuben, knows what it means to be invisible. Her 10-year-old daughter, born with cerebral palsy, requires constant care. When seasonal floods washed through their community, her family was left wading in contaminated water, with clinics too far away and mental health support non-existent.

Then, Mama Achieng joined one of F4T’s community resilience circles. For the first time, she had a space to talk about her struggles, learn how to protect her children from disease, and prepare for emergencies. She also trained in psychosocial first aid, learning how to care not only for her family but also for neighbors reeling from loss. Today, she helps run a local psychosocial hub that meets under a church canopy. Her daughter now receives monthly therapy through F4T’s home-based outreach, and she says with pride, “We are no longer just surviving climate change. We are facing it together, with strength, knowledge, and care.”

A Community-Driven Model for Shaping Health Systems

What began as small circles of women gathering to share their struggles has grown into a community-driven model that is shaping health systems, inspiring policymakers, and spreading across new settlements. In Nairobi, the four resilience hubs now anchor local action. In Kisumu and Mombasa, new versions are taking root, adapted to local culture and hazards. Each expansion is not a top-down replication but a continuation of a movement, led by caregivers, youth mentors, and disability advocates who carry the lessons forward.

This is more than a program. It is a demonstration that people most affected by climate change can be trusted to take ownership and lead the response. Whether it’s creating emergency health plans or providing counseling support following extreme weather events. It shows that resilience can be built through the determination of families who refuse to be invisible and are empowered to take action.

F4T’s initiative illustrates how adaptation can gain the most traction when communities are entrusted and have a say in shaping solutions. In Mukuru kwa Reuben, Mama Achieng no longer feels invisible, she is a trained first responder, a source of comfort for her neighbors, and a mother whose child now receives care at home. Her story is not an outlier but a glimpse of what is possible when communities take the lead. From these circles of care in Nairobi’s settlements, a message resonates far beyond their borders. Adaptation entails much more than just surviving the storm, it is communities actively owning and charting their path forward together.