International Christian Youthworks Africa was established in 2004 to use a proven leadership development programme to train and develop African young adults to become leaders of integrity and to develop entrepreneurial skills, alongside life and employment skills. Starting with 20 students each year in the Kibera slum Nairobi up to 2011, we have now grown to graduate over 50,000 students in 30 African countries in 2018. Young adults are in the majority but we have been open to both younger and older individuals too. We find that young people are inspired by the values of integrity and justice and they have a desire to see their countries changed. Training is contextualised to include poverty reduction, sexual and reproductive health and HIV/ AIDS particularly in Western Kenya, conflict situations such as in Burundi, Post-traumatic Stress work in DR Congo.
ICY is based in Birmingham and is headed up by David and Linda Isgrove. ICY Ministries Ltd is the outreach charity arm of ICY, with David and Linda having special responsibility as Directors for the development of ICY in Africa. Both have a heart for community transformation, are involved in their own community in the UK and are passionate to see young adults take on the baton from their elders in Africa and pass it on to others. They are founder members of Riverside Church in Birmingham and each year have taken a group from the church on a short trip to work with the ICY Africa team in East Africa.
Joe Bonga, our African Director, has a BSc from LEE university and a Masters from United States International University and has a background in development and policy studies. He has worked with organisations such as Action Aid for over ten years and pastored a church in Nairobi for over eight years. He has developed and implemented various youth programmes across Africa and has a passion to see young people equipped to make a difference.