Volunteers leading an art class for children in Mathare, Nairobi, Kenya, in August (COURTESY)

On a dusty football pitch in Mathare, Kenya’s second-largest informal settlement, a young player races towards the goal as teammates and spectators erupt in cheers. Nearby, children gather around paintings, performers take the stage and readers browse newly catalogued books. 

For several days in August, Mathare became a vibrant hub of football, art, music and reading. The eighth Mathare Carnival brought together 42 community football teams and more than 500 young players, while hundreds of children joined art activities, talent performances and reading programmes. Behind the celebrations was a simple idea: create a space where young people could participate, express their talents and have their voices heard. 

For Yin Binbin, co-founder of the Dream Building Service Association (DBSA), the carnival grew from a journey that began 12 years ago. 

In 2014, Yin came to Mathare as an international volunteer, teaching mathematics, science and English. Then he saw the school: classrooms made largely of old sheets of metal, with little natural light or ventilation. Smoke drifted through the building, and one classroom relied on a mobile-phone flashlight for illumination. One child even used his sleeve as an eraser. 

The experience changed his plans. Yin and other volunteers launched an online fundraising campaign and raised enough within weeks to rebuild the school. When the children entered their new classrooms, singing and dancing, Yin realised the project could not end there. 

Members of the winning team celebrate at the Mathare Slum World Cup in Nairobi, Kenya, in August (COURTESY)

Learning about the community 

People in the community encouraged him to stay involved. A second school followed, volunteers were recruited and more fundraising campaigns were launched. What began as a short volunteer experience became a long-term commitment. 

The DBSA grew from that process, expanding from school construction to food assistance, education, football, art, talent development and reading programmes. Since 2014, it has carried out projects in six African countries with more than 500 international volunteers. For Yin, however, the most important change has been how he understands a community. 

“Many of our projects did not start with a plan,” Yin told ChinAfrica. “They started with communication.” 

The talent show grew from volunteers seeing young people gathering in the street around a portable speaker, singing, dancing and performing. They had talent but few opportunities to take the stage. In 2015, the DBSA built a simple stage and organised the first talent show, drawing thousands of spectators. 

Football emerged in much the same way. Children wanted to play, but access to pitches often required payment. The DBSA rented a field and invited teams from more than 20 schools. The initiative eventually became the Slum World Cup. 

Art education followed after volunteers discovered talented young artists who lacked a platform, while reading programmes grew from the community’s need for books. 

The 2026 carnival reflected this evolution. Some 289 students from 15 community schools presented more than 300 artworks, while more than 1,000 young people auditioned for the talent competition. Twenty-nine reached the final. The Africa Dream Campus Project supported 13 partner schools with nearly 1,000 books. 

Chinese volunteers also introduced bamboo-weaving workshops, turning an artistic activity into a practical skill. For Yin, such activities build confidence, discipline and creativity while helping young people develop skills, gain independence and make their own choices. 

Celebrations following the finale of the Mathare Talent Show in Nairobi, Kenya, in August (COURTESY) 

From beneficiaries to contributors 

After more than a decade in Mathare, Yin has watched the neighbourhood change. Homes once made largely of corrugated metal have increasingly been replaced by concrete structures, while technology has become part of everyday life. Young people now have greater access to information and new possibilities. 

The DBSA, he said, must change with the community. The organisation has established a local office, works with local staff and increasingly leaves project implementation and decision-making to community members. The Slum World Cup, for instance, is now largely organised locally, with the DBSA providing support and supervision. 

“Our goal is to move people from being beneficiaries to participants, and eventually to people capable of addressing their own challenges,” Yin said. 

This approach also shapes the DBSA’s China-Africa exchanges. Chinese volunteers have returned to Mathare repeatedly, building relationships that go beyond individual projects or donations. Local residents have come to know them as part of the community. 

The carnival has become a meeting point for this network. In 2026, Chinese volunteers, Kenyan community organisations, businesses, government representatives and international partners contributed in different ways. 

Football, music, art and reading provide a common language. Young people connect naturally when they play together, perform on the same stage or learn a new craft. 

“This is the value of grassroots China-Africa exchange: it happens person to person, through repeated encounters and shared experiences,” Yin said. 

As the carnival grows, so does Yin’s ambition. He hopes the DBSA will expand its reach to more African countries, eventually support hundreds of thousands of young people, and grow into a leading Chinese charitable organisation overseas with a lasting impact in the field of social welfare. “Dream building,” he said, “works both ways: while the DBSA helps young Africans pursue their dreams, the organisation and its volunteers are pursuing a dream of their own.”