Stephen founded the Stowelink Foundation, a non-governmental organisation that aims to inspire healthier communities in Africa through innovative community health projects focused particularly on non-communicable diseases. These types of diseases are responsible for 39% of deaths in Kenya annually. Stephen does advocacy work with the Stowelink Foundation, cooperating with the government and key health institutions to raise awareness of non-communicable diseases amongst young people and facilitate inclusive and affordable healthcare spaces.
Stephen attended the One Young World Summit in London, 2019. A year later, he started the NCD 365 project in Africa with the support of fellow One Young World Ambassadors, who helped him with networking, engaging local citizens, establishing partnerships, and expanding Stowelink Foundation’s reach in West Africa. Following in his footsteps, Kevin Oduor, their Chief Program Officer, attended the Summit in Manchester, 2022. Through his participation in other One Young World channels, Stephen was able to use the Community to broaden his reach even further.
The Stowelink Foundation’s work is divided into in-person support, which includes cardiovascular health and baseline cancer screenings for patients, as well as training for healthcare professionals, and digital healthcare innovation. This includes mobile apps, such as the NCD 365 programme, focused on various issues related to non-communicable diseases for education purposes. The Stowelink Foundation is now present in 10 countries in Africa, and has run 28 medical camps directly impacting 232,612 people and helping diagnoses. The organisation has distributed 1,360 books related to health issues and worked with 67 schools to provide health-related training and mentorship to students. The Stowelink Foundation has also worked with hospitals to re-open non-communicable disease clinics and supports in-hospital volunteering. It has produced a free-to-reuse animated video series.
“I attended the Summit in 2019, London, and launched my NCD 365 project a year later. Thanks to connecting with other Ambassadors at the Summit, I was able to expand the NCD 365 project to West Africa, getting us more partners and more engagement on the ground.”
