About S.A.F.E Kenya

S.A.F.E. works in hard-to-reach and vulnerable communities focusing on sexual health, gender-based violence, clean water and sanitation, countering extremism, peacebuilding and the environment.

Three local teams deliver these projects: SAFE Pwani in the coastal counties, SAFE Maa in Loita and Olderkesi (Narok) and SAFE Samburu in the Westgate Conservancy and Nyiro (Samburu County).

Our vision

To be a leading regional NGO creating social change through art in vulnerable and marginalised communities.

Our mission

To harness the power of art to advocate for and support holistic behaviour change, creating healthy, peaceful, and prosperous communities.

Our story

In the developing world, the creative arts offer an unrivaled means to communicate complex ideas, provide education, counter superstition and prejudice, and inspire people to make the changes that can save and transform their lives.

S.A.F.E. began work in Mombasa in 2002. With 20 years of working on stage and screen, founder Nick Reding knew the power that theatre had to captivate and engage audiences, and planned to use it to educate communities on HIV/AIDS.

Working with the leading theatre group in Mombasa, S.A.F.E. created performance pieces aimed at reducing the stigma about the disease, providing reliable and clear information, challenging discrimination, and crucially, giving people the courage to access services and care.

The performances had such an impressive impact, that in 2003 a U.K. charity was formed to support the work that S.A.F.E. was doing. In 2006 S.A.F.E. became a Kenyan NGO, and over the next few years four teams of artists and activists were created in different areas of Kenya: SAFE Pwani – Kenyan Coast, SAFE Ghetto – Nairobi Slums, SAFE Maa – The Loita Hills, SAFE Samburu – Westgate Conservancy. 

S.A.F.E.’s winning methodology had been discovered; by using powerful storytelling and humour, and by harnessing culture, S.A.F.E. were able to open discussions on previously taboo subjects, and break down barriers in people’s behaviours and attitudes to let through vital information and services.

At the request of communities served by S.A.F.E. the programmes expanded to include many different health and social issues. Check out our Programmes page for more information.