Lessons are online
Video lessons on this site, in order, one stage at a time. Watch on your phone whenever you have time and data. There are no fixed class days.
Online, for anyone, anywhere
Learn a creative skill that pays. Start with the phone you have.
Kibra Youth Network teaches anyone who wants to learn to design, shoot, edit and market — properly, to a standard clients will pay for. Eight courses. All online, open to anyone, anywhere. For most of them, the phone in your pocket is enough to start.
- You finish with real work. A portfolio you can show a client — not just a certificate.
- Open to everyone. You don't need to have finished school. You don't need experience.
- Learn online, from anywhere. Video lessons on your phone, a trainer on WhatsApp, and feedback on every piece of work you send in.
Applications take about five minutes. We reply on WhatsApp within a week.
Our impact so far
500+
Young people reached through KYN's programmes
8
Online courses
41
Client projects by our trainers
The courses
Five skills. Pick the one you'd actually enjoy.
Each one is taught online by people doing the work for real clients, with help from your trainer whenever you need it. You finish with a portfolio you can show — not just a certificate.
How learning works
You learn online. Your trainer is with you all the way.
Every course is taught online, so you can learn from home, from work or from school, at the time that suits you. You can finish the whole course without travelling anywhere. If you live near Kibra, some courses add optional practical days at our centre — nice to have, never required.
Your trainer is on WhatsApp
Stuck on a lesson or an assignment? Message your trainer or ask on the course board, and you get an answer during the week.
Your work gets feedback
Every stage ends with an assignment you make where you are, with what you have. A trainer marks it and tells you what to fix before you move on.
Ask us anything
Students, parents and guardians can message or call us any time. Someone checks WhatsApp every day.
Under 18? Your parent or guardian is welcome to call or message us any time they have a question.
How to join
Four steps to your first lesson.
We only ever contact you from the numbers on this site. If someone says they are from Kibra Youth Network and something feels off, check with us on WhatsApp first.
Fill the form
Five minutes on your phone. Name, age, where you stay, and which course you want.
We reach you
We call or WhatsApp you within one week. Keep that number on.
We talk
A short call or WhatsApp chat so we know you and you know us. No exam, no interview panel.
Start with the next intake
New intakes every two months. Your login opens the first lessons online; if an intake is full, you go first on the next one.
Keeping young people safe
We train children and young adults, so we are strict about this and we would rather say it out loud than bury it in a policy document.
- Under 18? A parent or guardian must know you are learning with us. We call them before you start, and they can call us any time they have a question.
- Every trainer is vetted and works to a written code of conduct. No trainer meets a student alone, off-site, or after hours.
- Nobody here will ever ask you for a favour or a photo in exchange for a place, a certificate or a client referral. Ever.
- We ask before we post you. Your face or your work only goes on our pages if you said yes, and you can change your mind later.
If something feels wrong, tell this person:
You can report anonymously, and you can report about anybody — a trainer, a student, a visitor, or someone outside. You will be taken seriously and you will not lose your place for speaking up. In an emergency call 999 or 112, or Childline Kenya on 116.
Application
Apply for a place
Nothing here is a test. Write how you talk — we're reading for interest, not grammar.
Tumepokea. We've got your application.
Asante, friend. Your application is in the queue.
What happens next: someone from the team will call or WhatsApp the number you gave within one week. Save our number so you know it's us. If you haven't heard from us in seven days, message us — don't just wait.
We will also call your parent or guardian on the number you gave us, to confirm they know, and to explain how the online lessons work. That call is part of how we keep young people safe — it is not a test of your family.
Heads up — this site is not connected to a mailbox yet. This form is in demo mode, so nothing was actually sent anywhere. Until the team wires up a real endpoint, please send your details on WhatsApp using the button below so your application genuinely reaches us.
Trainer work
Trainer work — What your trainers actually make
These are real client jobs, not exercises. The people who mark your work do this for a living during the week — brands, campaigns, shoots, video and print for businesses in Nairobi and beyond. Pick a course, and click any project to see it bigger.
Shop Zetu fashion campaign
Art direction and layouts for a Kenyan fashion marketplace — the same campaign set for web, email and social.
Treesha brand guidelines
A full brand book for a musician: logo system, colours, type and the rules for using them.
Konar Medical Laboratory
Brand for a community medical lab: a mark built from the letter K, a capsule and a heart, in calm blues, carried onto a poster and business cards.
Sedgwick email signature
A branded email signature for a global claims firm — logo, contact block and photo band, still readable in a plain inbox.
Imura catalogue teaser
Launch teaser for a fashion catalogue — type set straight onto fabric, product held back for the reveal.
The Nuralains Boutique
Launch social set for a modest-fashion boutique, built around one line of copy.
Kombucha drink social set
Product posts for a Kenyan kombucha brand — same look across a whole month.
Flo’s Wellness Centre identity
Identity for a wellness centre: a gold leaf-and-roots mark with deep purple, shown with photography, colour swatches and a brand pattern.
Pure Brew flavour line-up
The whole kombucha range in one post — three bottles, one shadow, contacts along the bottom.
Pure Brew — The Bottle
A single-product post carrying an order number, written so one WhatsApp message closes the sale.
iGaming Consult Africa
Business-to-business social design — a services list made to look like an invitation rather than a brochure.
Parfum Cosmetica brand
Brand for a body, hair, nail and skin clinic: a perfume-bottle monogram in gold on navy, a “Power up your skin care” ad and business cards.
Julz x Shop Zetu sale
Sale creative for a leather-shoe brand — offer, product and both logos inside one square.
MoPhones World Cup campaign
Match-season posts for a phone retailer: “Know Better. Watch Better.” for streaming games on the Motorola G Power, then a “Score your dream phone” series set in the stadium.
Shop Zetu core values
Seven company values laid out as one page — a photograph and a short line for each, made to be read in one pass.
MoPhones “Move different” ads
Ad set for a renewed-phone shop: four phones, each made in square, story and banner sizes, with the deposit and weekly price up front.
Zaidi Furniture identity
Identity for a furniture and home décor shop: a Z monogram in gold and charcoal, with colours, typefaces, logo construction, versions and business cards.
Pure Brew berries post
A fruit fact used to sell a drink — the health line does the work, the order numbers sit in the frame.
MoPhones back-to-school sale
Back-to-school phone offer for a Nairobi retailer — price, the saving and the specs, all in one poster.
Shop Zetu mid-year sale
Sale poster for a fashion marketplace — torn paper, one offer, one button.
MoPhones everyday posts
Feed posts set in everyday life — the market, the delivery bike, match day on the sofa — each with a short Swahili line and one button.
Oppo Reno 13 F launch film
Event film from a phone launch — the room, the reveal and the crowd, cut to under a minute. Press play.
The Jump Start Podcast
Camera and set work on a Nairobi podcast — lighting the sofa, framing two guests and cutting the clips the show runs on. Press play.
MoPhones A4 flyer
Print flyer on why to buy a renewed phone — quality checks, savings and warranty — in three colourways.
Samsung S5 product shoot
Studio product photography: one phone, one light, a lot of patience.
Oppo Reno 13 F product shoot
Launch photography for a phone release — handset, box and shadow on one seamless set.
MoPhones “UsiStress” ads
One Swahili line — don’t stress about paying it all at once — carried across four phones in square, story and banner sizes.
GIP Safaris tee
T-shirt artwork for a safari company, drawn front and back and set up for print.
MoPhones × Incourage notebook
Cover design for a branded notebook — a pattern built from the client’s own icons.
Afrobeat vs Amapiano flyer
An event flyer for a Nairobi night — line-up, hosts and charges, all legible at thumbnail size.
MoPhones price-drop ads
Limited-time offer ads for two phones: one loud line, the phone in hand, and the new deposit and weekly price.
Shop Zetu tote bag
One message wrapped around a tote — illustration, hand-lettering and the print file behind it.
Luka Africa social posts
Social creative for a savings product, explaining a money idea in one image.
MoPhones product sheets
A4 sheets, one per phone, all on one template: model, condition, deposit, specs and warranty.
Vivo sale ad creative
Paid-ad creative for a fashion sale — offer, product and call to action in one frame.
MoPhones at Carrefour
Announcement post for a phone shop’s new spot inside Carrefour — the store, both logos and the website in one frame.
Pure Products KE logo outro
A seven-second animated logo sting that closes the brand’s videos. Press play.
Pure Kombucha lifestyle shoot
Lifestyle product photography — the drink being poured, shot in a real room.
MoPhones “Mapema Ndio Best” ad
An evening-lit iPhone 12 ad — early is best, small deposit, phone in hand today — made in square, story and banner sizes.
Zetu Studios portrait
Studio portrait work on a plain background, lit so the clothes read clearly.
MoPhones KSh 1,200-a-week ad
A price-led ad for Samsung phones on weekly payments — the number is the headline, in three sizes.
No projects filed under this course yet — try another filter.
Every project here was made by a KYN trainer for a paying client, not for class. Students keep every shilling they earn from their own jobs — see the course pages for what you build in twelve weeks.
Our projects
Things we've built beyond the classroom
KYN doesn't only teach. The same team designs, builds and runs real products for the community — a newsroom, this learning platform and a podcast. Here they are.
News site
Kibra News Network
Kibra's own newsroom.
A news site run from Nairobi: verified stories across Kibra, Nairobi, Kenya, Africa and the world, a jobs board of checked vacancies, a monthly email brief and a daily e-paper — built on WordPress and kept fresh every day.
Learning platform
KYN LMS
The site you're on right now.
Eight online courses, an enrol form, student logins with lessons, handouts and attendance, certificates anyone can verify, partner-school pages and an admin panel — designed and coded in-house by KYN trainers.
Podcast & video
The Jump Start Podcast & Pro Session Ke
Conversations from Nairobi, on video.
Long-form talks with musicians, creatives and young people making a living in Nairobi, hosted by Calisto Marley from the KYN team. Ten episodes so far — all of them play right here.
Podcast
Conversations from Nairobi, on video
The Jump Start Podcast, Pro Session Ke and Smart Feet — real talk with artists, creatives and young people building something in Nairobi. Hosted by Calisto Marley from the KYN team. Press play — all you need is data.
Latest episode
Smart Feet
Smart Feet 001 — Calisto Marley & Davies Flex
The debut episode of Smart Feet, a sneaker-culture podcast hosted by Calisto Marley and Davies Felix.
Open on YouTubeAll episodes
10 videos · newest first-
Session
Studio 18 × PITH × Blueprint · Pop-up masterclass, Lavington
-
The Jump Start Podcast
Season 1, Episode 2 · with PseudoDidIt
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The Jump Start Podcast
Season 1, Episode 1 · with PseudoDidIt
-
Pro Session Ke
Episode 6 — Annita Shakiz · 'STAR' — the dance album
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Pro Session Ke
Episode 5 — Tobit Tom & Brian Opodo · Booty Nene
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Pro Session Ke
Episode 4 — Jill Wamera & Mutheu Ndalana · Post Valentine
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Pro Session Ke
Episode 3 — Kennedy Osano · The success story
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Pro Session Ke
Episode 1 — Lowki The Great · The space you never had
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Pro Session Ke
Intro · 2023 — the show starts here
Videos play from YouTube, so they use your data bundle like any other video. If they crawl, drop the quality setting.
Trainers & graduates
The people you'll actually be learning from
Nobody here flew in to teach you. Every trainer works in the thing they teach and gets paid for it during the week, and most of them sat in these same chairs first.
Who teaches
Where graduates go
You will meet several of them on the course boards — trainers and graduates both. Want to talk to one before you apply? Ask us on WhatsApp and we will put you in touch.
About us
We're from here. That's the whole point.
Kibra Youth Network is a community organisation based in Nairobi — and our courses are open to anyone, anywhere. We were started by young people from these same estates who got a skill, made a living from it, and decided the next person shouldn't have to be lucky to do the same.
Our community has never been short of talent. What it has been short of is equipment, a quiet room, someone who will show you the shortcut, and a first client. That is exactly what we provide.
Empowering youth, building stronger communities. Not a slogan we bought. It's the order we do things in: skill first, then income, then a young person who lifts the people around them.
- Trainers are working professionals, not volunteers passing through.
- Girls and young women are half of every intake. We hold that line.
- Students keep 100% of what they earn from work they find themselves.
- Our door stays open after you finish — message us on WhatsApp any time you have a question.
Contact
Any question? Just WhatsApp.
Students, parents and guardians can all reach us here. WhatsApp is fastest — someone checks it every day.
Find us online
Where we are
Joseph Kang'ethe Road, Nairobi
Our office is at Sango Business Center. If you ever need to visit, message on WhatsApp first and someone will meet you at the road.
Online · a trainer on WhatsApp
Course
Maelezo ya kozi hii bado yako kwa Kiingereza. Vichwa na vitufe viko kwa Kiswahili.
When it starts
Help along the way
What you'll learn
Three stages
Every course runs in three stages. You work through one stage's videos in order, hand in an assignment, and a trainer marks it. Passing it opens the next stage. The certificate comes when all three are passed.
What you'll actually make
You leave with finished work, not notes. By the end you will have produced:
Week by week
How the course runs
What you need before you start
After you finish
Rates above are typical Nairobi freelance ranges for this standard of work, given so you can judge what the skill is worth. They are not a promise of income, and what you charge is entirely yours to keep.
Questions people ask
Donate & partner
Fund a young person's first real skill
Every course costs money to run — data, equipment, a trainer paid properly. Here is exactly what your gift covers and where it goes.
Give once, or every month
Pick an amount to see what it covers. Monthly giving is what lets us promise a student the full course rather than hope.
Our appeal right now
A hall and a library for our community — a quiet room to study in, and somewhere the practical days and workshops can actually fit. The fundraiser is on M-Changa, which is treasurer-controlled, so every shilling is accounted for in public.
Giving from outside Kenya, or want a standing order or card payment? Email us and a human will reply — we would rather do that properly than point you at a payment button that isn't finished.
Email us about donatingPartner with us
Money is not the only useful thing. We are always looking for:
- Equipment — working laptops, cameras, lenses, lights, tripods, hard drives.
- Paid work for students — give a graduate a real brief and a real invoice.
- Software and data — licences, subscriptions, and data bundles so students can learn online.
- Time — run a masterclass, review portfolios, mentor one person for six months.
- Space — a venue for a showcase, a studio for a shoot day.
Reporting: partners get a short written report each quarter — students enrolled, students who finished, work produced, money spent. Plain numbers, on time.
Talk to our partnerships teamWhere the money does not go: we do not run paid advertising, we do not print branded merchandise, and no one on this team flies anywhere to talk about our work. If you want the detailed budget before you give, ask and we will send it.
Impact one-pager
Everything a funding committee needs on a single page. Print it, or save it as a PDF from the print dialog.
Kibra Youth Network
Empowering youth, building stronger communities
What we do
We train anyone who wants to learn — anywhere in Kenya and beyond — in creative skills: graphic design, photography, videography, digital marketing, social media management, AI, art and music. Every course is taught online, with a trainer on WhatsApp all the way through and optional practical days at our Kibra centre. Students finish with a portfolio, a certificate, and in many cases a first paying client. Every course can be started on a smartphone.
Impact to date
- 500+young people reached through KYN's programmes
- 8online courses
- 41client projects by our trainers
- 3trainer-marked stages in every course
The five courses
What funding buys
| Amount | What it covers |
|---|---|
| KSh 1,500 | Data bundles for one student for one month |
| KSh 6,000 | One student through a complete course |
| KSh 25,000 | A camera kit shared by a class of fifteen |
| KSh 180,000 | A full intake of thirty students, start to certificate |
How we work
- Trainers are working professionals, most of them our own graduates.
- Girls and young women are half of every intake, and we hold that line.
- Students keep 100% of what they earn from work they find themselves.
- Under-18s are enrolled only with a parent or guardian's knowledge and consent.
- Partners receive a written report every quarter: enrolled, completed, produced, spent.
All figures supplied by Kibra Youth Network.
Student login
Sign in to reach your lessons, resources and certificate.
No PIN yet? Your trainer gives you one when your place is confirmed. Lost it, or it stopped working? WhatsApp us and we will reset it.
Offline copy: this file is not connected to the server, so sign-in is a simulation. .
Change your PIN. You are still using the one your trainer gave you, and they know it. .
Back to the site
School login
For teachers and coordinators at partner schools. See how your students are getting on with their KYN courses.
Is your school not on KYN yet? WhatsApp us. We set up your school's own page and join code within a day.
Offline copy: this file is not connected to the server, so the school portal cannot sign in here.
Change your PIN. You are still using the one KYN gave you. .
What you can see here: lessons finished, assignments a trainer has passed, attendance on practical days, and certificates. We do not show students' phone numbers, guardian details or the work itself — that stays between the student and KYN.