Dignity packs given at the Shaping Futures Organization./ PHOTO; Kevin Odhiambo
When 20-year-old Dominique Oiriga talks about his dream, his words spill out with quiet conviction.
“I want kids in Kibera to have the same opportunity to learn computers as kids in international schools,” he says. “Many of them have the passion, they just don’t have the access.”
Dominique is trying to change that. His initiative, Hello Code World, is still just an idea taking root – a coding and robotics hub for children from Nairobi’s informal settlements.
But its foundation runs deep into his past, back to when he was just another boy struggling to stay in school.
While in primary school, Dominique became a beneficiary of Shaping Futures, a grassroots organization that supports education and youth development in Kibera.
Then, it was known as Mtoto na Elimu. The group helped him pay part of his school fees and offered mentorship that gave him direction.
“Kevin and the team were always there,” he recalls. “If I needed help, I could reach out. That’s how I made it through.”
After finishing high school, he went to college, then joined an organization that taught robotics and coding, starting as a volunteer and later becoming a lead educator.
His passion took him across schools and even beyond borders; in December 2024, he traveled to China with students to compete in an international robotics and AI competition.
“That trip opened my eyes,” he says. “I saw how far technology can take someone. I came back knowing I wanted kids in Kibera to dream that big too.”
That’s how Hello Code World was born, a dream to build a community IT hub in Kibera where children can learn coding, robotics, and problem-solving using local examples.
“I want to see kids here build apps that solve community problems,” Dominique explains. “I want them to know innovation doesn’t belong to rich schools.”
Today, he’s working with a small team to register the initiative and secure equipment.
The plan is to start with weekend classes and expand into a permanent space where technology becomes both a tool and a language of empowerment.
His determination reflects the heart of what Shaping Futures was designed to do: create young people who rise, then lift others.
A Seed of Change
The story of Shaping Futures begins much like Dominique’s, with one person deciding to turn hardship into hope.
Established in 2019 by Kevin Odhiambo, Shaping Futures grew out of his own childhood experiences in Kibera, one of Africa’s largest informal settlements.
“When I was growing up, I lacked essentials like proper food and clothing,” he recalls.
“I also saw girls dropping out of school because of period shame. Shaping Futures was born from that struggle to make someone see that life has meaning, and that it becomes beautiful when someone cares.”
Odhiambo and his team built the organization around six interconnected programs designed to nurture not just talent, but dignity, discipline, and opportunity.
These include dance and life skills training, the Clothes Donation Drive, the Sanitary Towel Campaign, a Feeding Program, and the Mtoto na Elimu education support project.
Each program targets a gap Odhiambo once lived through.
“We can’t fix every problem,” he says, “but we can start somewhere. And when one person feels seen, they’re likely to see someone else who needs help. That’s how change multiplies.”
The Mtoto na Elimu Program
Education sits at the core of the organization’s work. The Mtoto na Elimu program, Swahili for “Child and Education,” ensures that children from low-income families can stay in school and complete their studies.
The organization identifies needy learners, usually from within its dance and mentorship sessions, and offers to subsidize part of their school fees for at least a year.
“We don’t pay full school fees,” Odhiambo explains. “We cover what we can to make sure a child doesn’t drop out, and that gives the parents some breathing space.”
Most beneficiaries come from single-parent households or guardians with irregular income.
The support goes directly to schools, and beyond financial aid, the team checks on academic progress and behavior, ensuring that mentorship runs alongside material help.
This model has supported more than 50 children since its inception.
The Power of Movement
Every Saturday, children and youth gather at the organization’s small training space in Kibera to move, laugh, and learn.
The sessions aren’t about competition, they’re about release.
“Dance gives our kids a place to express themselves and escape the pressure of the environment,” Odhiambo says.
Through music and movement, participants rediscover confidence and belonging.
The sessions also serve as an entry point to life-skills coaching, where topics like decision-making, leadership, and mental health are discussed.
“It’s how we build habits,” Odhiambo adds.
“Just like Atomic Habits teaches, small, consistent actions lead to big change. You can’t transform a community overnight, but you can teach a child to value discipline, and that habit grows.”
Clothing with Dignity
Practical support ties all these programs together. Behind the scenes, the Clothes Donation Drive keeps the spirit of giving alive and visible.
Coordinated by Kelvin Ouma, the department collects used clothes from families, friends, and well-wishers across Nairobi.
“We rely mostly on personal networks,” Ouma explains. “People hear about what we do through social media or word of mouth.”
The organization runs four major drives every year in March, June, September, and November.
The most recent, held on November 1, 2025, reached dozens of families in Kyanda, Kibra, and nearby children’s homes.
“Clothing restores dignity,” Ouma says. “Sometimes a child skips school because they have no decent uniform or shoes. When we hand them clothes, it’s not charity, it’s confidence.”
Over time, the program has built trust among donors, who see their contributions shared transparently online.
What began as a small box of donated shirts has become a community-wide effort that now benefits hundreds of children annually.
Feeding, Health, and Empowerment
Shaping Futures extends its support beyond education and creative outlets.
The organization runs a feeding program in collaboration with other partners, providing nutritious meals to children in its care, including those in the children’s home.
This ensures the young beneficiaries have access to healthy food, allowing them to focus on learning, dancing, and developing new skills.
At the same time, the Sanitary Towel Campaign, under the banner #EndingPeriodPoverty, reaches more than 300 girls with menstrual hygiene products, paired with guidance on self-care and confidence.
Together, these initiatives strengthen the organization’s core mission: giving children the tools and support to thrive with dignity, irrespective of their circumstances.
The Challenge and the Hope
Running such a multi-faceted organization isn’t easy. With limited funding, Shaping Futures depends largely on personal contributions from its ten-member team.
“We each chip in what we can at the end of the month,” Odhiambo says. “No contribution is too small. It keeps us accountable and united.”
Still, they aren’t alone. The group also receives support from well-wishers and community partners who donate in-kind, whether through clothing, food supplies, or logistical help during outreach drives.
“Sometimes it’s not money,” Odhiambo says. “Someone brings food, another lends a car, or a friend sponsors a venue. All that adds up.”
The team also faces challenges working with external partners.
Ouma recalls instances when event organizers promised payment for performances but disappeared after the show.
“It’s frustrating,” he admits, “but we keep our focus on the mission. We prefer being called to meaningful events, not competitions, where kids end up disappointed.”
Beyond that, there’s another challenge: expectations from the beneficiaries themselves. “Sometimes people expect too much,” Ouma explains.
“They think we have big sponsors or endless resources. But we’re just a small team doing our best. Managing expectations while still giving genuine help is one of the hardest parts.”
Despite these hurdles, the group has sustained operations over the years, proving that consistency, creativity, and community trust can drive impact even without big grants.
A Measurable Ripple
The results are visible. Beyond the dozens of children kept in school or clothed with dignity, Shaping Futures has created a network of young leaders who are beginning to serve others.
Dominique’s coding project is one example; others have started to lead in their own capacity.
The organization’s work has not gone unnoticed.
In 2022, Shaping Futures was named the Best Dance Crew of the Year by the Eight Town Kibra Awards. In 2023, Odhiambo was nominated for the Founder of the Year Award (FOYA), competing among leaders from eight African nations and emerging as first runner-up.
Shaping Futures was also recognized under the Positive Role Model category by the National Diversity Awards (UK), further underscoring its growing impact.
The Legacy of Care
Asked what he hopes Shaping Futures will look like in 50 years, Odhiambo smiles thoughtfully.
“It’s like parenting,” he says. “The greatest joy is to see those you raised go beyond you. I want Shaping Futures to be run by the same kids we mentored, the ones who know what struggle feels like, but also what hope can do.”
For Dominique, that legacy is already alive. “Kevin believed in me when I had nothing,” he says. “Now, I want to be that person for someone else. That’s what shaping a future really means.”
As the evening light fades over Kibera, laughter still spills from the small dance hall where it all began, children practicing steps, mentors watching proudly, and somewhere in the rhythm of movement and purpose, a generation quietly learning that the best way to rise is to lift others.
