Always on
This project successfully funded on 20th February 2026, you can still support them with a donation.
Help empower Congo's displaced youth through art!
Nairobi, Kenya
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Aim
Help us build a creative hub for Congolese refugees, using art and music to support healing from the traumas of war and displacement.
OUR PROJECT - Passaby Collective
Born in response to the trauma of forced migration, violence, and exclusion, Lebon, a rapper, artist, and activist from Goma, Congo, founded Passaby Collective as a platform to use art, music, and storytelling for social transformation and community empowerment. His vision was to give voice to those so often silenced and overlooked in Goma.
Passaby has since grown into a collective of East African artists, who use their creativity and talent to shift perspectives about the Democratic Republic of Congo while providing safe, expressive workshops for communities living in cramped refugee camps across East Africa. Through these workshops, we help children, youth, and families begin to heal from the traumas inflicted by ongoing war and displacement in the DRC.
How can you help?
We are now seeking £5,000 to establish a functional creative hub in Nairobi.
Having this space will be a provide us with a more permanent base. This creative hub will be a space where we can: design the workshops that we will deliver to Congolese refugees living in Kakuma camp, Northern Kenya; continue to develop cultural and educational sessions about DRC, including performances and other events that will showcase East African talent; and, with access to recording equipment and an artistic space, we will be able to support emerging musicians and artists who have relocated from DRC to Kenya and other neighbouring countries, such as Uganda.
How the funding will be used:
- Covering the rent of a space in Nairobi where we will set up the creative hub (studio space, workshop area and mini art gallery)
- Purchasing studio equipment for recording music, video and oral stories from Congo
- Buying art supplies for the creative workshops in Kakuma
- Any extra funds will be put towards travel costs for the team to Kakuma
With your support, not only will we be able to safeguard local stories and talent, but we can continue to protect and promote the culture and identity of DRC - across Africa and beyond. Anything you are able to contribute will be greatly received.
Why is this important?
The Democratic Republic of Congo, home to Passaby Collective, has endured one of the deadliest conflicts since World War II, with over six million lives lost and millions more displaced.
Congo’s immense mineral wealth continues to fuel violence, instability, and exploitation. Women and children have suffered the most, with sexual violence used as a weapon of war, leaving countless survivors in urgent need of specialised care.
This has forced thousands to flee into neighbouring countries, where overcrowded refugee camps face food shortages, disease outbreaks, and little access to education. An entire generation risks growing up with few opportunities and constant exposure to the trauma of conflict.
Passaby Collective uses art, music, storytelling, and dance as powerful tools of resistance — offering healing, joy, and dignity to people who have endured the unthinkable.
Our Impact to date
Throughout the East African regions of Congo, Burundi, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda Passaby has:
- Created over 50 murals with refugees and local youth
- Reached over 200 displaced young people through workshops and street campaigns
- Built a network of artists across East Africa collaborating on cross-border projects
- Showcased recordings of refugee voices at festivals including Amani (Peace) Festival and Refugee Week.
By supporting this creative space, you are helping us to restore hope, rebuild identities, and give people the tools to imagine a future beyond conflict and displacement.
Thank you for passing by and we look forward to sharing this journey with you!
Funding method
Keep what you raise – this project will receive all pledges made