Children and Youth Empowerment Centre

Name

Children and Youth Empowerment Centre

Legal name

Children and Youth Empowerment Centre

Website

https://cyec.net

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Residential Social Services

NAICS

Child Care Services (62441), Elementary and Secondary Schools (611110), Child and Youth Services (62411), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Child Day Care Services (8351), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Behavioral & Social-Emotional Support (ABA, PBIS, Counseling) (EDAJAKAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Youth-to-Adult Transition & Life Skills (Independent Living, Soft Skills) (EDAAAFAN)

Keywords

• Child welfare services
• Residential care programs
• Vocational skills training
• Youth empowerment programs
• Non-formal education

Headquarters

HQ city

Nyeri

HQ country

Kenya

HQ region

Africa

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Donations and Sponsorships: CYEC is financially supported primarily through funds from Zawadi Fund International, a registered US 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. Individual donors can sponsor children at various levels (nursery, primary, secondary, vocational) or make general donations. The organization also receives support from universities, nonprofits, governments, and international donors.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Children and Youth Empowerment Centre (CYEC) operates a residential and educational program for former street-dwelling children and youth (ages 6-22) in Nyeri, Kenya. It provides boarding-school-style housing, meals, clothing, healthcare, primary and secondary schooling, vocational training, life-skills instruction, and youth-run business incubation through Zawadi Youth Enterprises, preparing beneficiaries for independent adult life.

Product overview

The Children and Youth Empowerment Centre (CYEC) is a residential and educational program serving former street-dwelling children and youth in Nyeri, Kenya, offering a comprehensive portfolio of integrated programs. The core offerings include a Residential Program (boarding school model with over 140 residents), Educational Program (primary through secondary schooling), Life Skills Program (HealthWise, Aflatoun financial literacy, and Leadership for Life training), Vocational Skills Program (carpentry, metal work, tailoring, and green technology), and Art Program (creative arts and acrobatics). The center operates Zawadi Youth Enterprises (ZYEP), a youth-run cooperative with 10 enterprises including agriculture, livestock, hay bailing, and crafting businesses. Zawadi Eco Villages provide transitional housing for graduates. Financial support flows through Zawadi Fund International, a US-based 501(c)3 nonprofit. Additional services include health clinics, the Zawadi Shop reward system, club and sports activities, and an emerging e-resources digital library initiative.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Zawadi Youth Enterprises: A youth-run cooperative through which youth generate income and learn valuable business and leadership skills. Includes various enterprises such as agriculture, livestock, hay bailing, charcoal brickets, shop, bee keeping, tailoring, art, electronic waste project, and salon.
• Zawadi EcoVillages
• Zawadi Fund International

Products and services

• Residential Program

Quantifiable outcome

• Youth achieve financial independence through running their own businesses in ZYEP
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Zawadi SocietycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2011The Zawadi Society is a network of local volunteers, prominent business people, university students and professional artists. Since 2011, society members have donated their time and skills to the Centre's programs, improving and expanding them. The society aims to create an expansive network within the community dedicated to empowering the children and youth of Kenya.
• Kansas State UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2009Kansas State University's International Service Teams (IST) is a service-learning program that has partnered with CYEC since 2009. Students spend at least eight weeks at CYEC working on developing after-school clubs, a drop-in center, the Zawadi shop, and leadership development programs. Former volunteers created Rafiki Bags LLC to promote tailoring exports.
• Pennsylvania State UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEach year, one class from Pennsylvania State University travels to the CYEC to collaborate with the Centre's staff and youth and to offer support for the Centre's programs. During the spring semester, students learn about cultural, economic and social conditions in Kenya. Various student teams work on projects including peer mentoring programs, agricultural production, waste to value projects, and entrepreneurship training programs.
• Street Families Rehabilitation Trust FundmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Street Families Rehabilitation Trust Fund is a public and private sector initiative established to coordinate rehabilitation activities for street families in Kenya. The Trust works to educate the public, mobilize resources and manage a fund to support rehabilitation activities. The Trust helped establish the CYEC.
• Decent Life VolunteersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDecent Life Volunteers is a non-profit group that believes everyone should have the opportunity to live a decent life. The organization helped start the CYEC clinic and works to provide school shoes to all of the Centre's children.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Compassion International: Compassion International runs a large-scale child sponsorship program combining education, health and life-skills support in developing countries including Kenya — overlaps CYEC's per-child sponsorship tiers and integrated development model, but at vastly larger scale and primarily non-residential.
• ChildFund International: ChildFund International sponsors vulnerable children across more than 20 countries including Kenya with integrated education, health and livelihood programming — comparable sponsorship-driven child development model to CYEC, though broader in scope.
• SOS Children's Villages: SOS Children's Villages is the largest global operator of family-style residential villages for orphaned and abandoned children with integrated education and youth support — a broad incumbent offering similar services at much greater scale and geographic breadth.

Direct peers

• Kids Alive International: Kids Alive provides residential care, education and family-style homes for at-risk children across multiple countries in Africa and Latin America, with sponsorship-based US fundraising — overlapping CYEC's residential-care-plus-sponsorship model.
• Watoto Childcare Ministries: Watoto operates residential family-style villages in Uganda serving orphaned and vulnerable children with integrated education, vocational training and care — closely comparable in residential + education + life-skills structure, though serving a different East African country.
• Pearlside Ministries: Pearlside Ministries runs residential and educational programs for street-connected children in Kenya with US-based donor support — directly comparable to CYEC in target beneficiary (street children), geography (Kenya), and integrated residential + education model.
• Mully Children's Family: Mully Children's Family operates residential villages in Kenya providing holistic care (shelter, education, vocational training, and enterprise exposure) for vulnerable children — a near-direct peer given shared Kenya footprint, residential model, and education-to-enterprise pathway.
• Rafiki Foundation: Rafiki Foundation runs residential children's homes and education programs across multiple African countries (including Kenya) with sponsorship-based funding from the US — directly comparable to CYEC in residential model, sponsorship tiers, and US-based donor support structure.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/children-and-youth-empowerment-centre

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Children and Youth Empowerment Centre