Beyond the Game: How Stories Move Young People Across Africa from Senior Associate Josiah Mukoya
When Senior Associate Josiah began supporting young people to evaluate the Sport for Education and Sustainable Livelihoods in Africa (SESLA) programme, his journey spanned eight countries, each with its own sport, culture and context.
In Benin, DRC and Uganda, the work centred on football as a pathway to confidence and teamwork, while Uganda’s programme focused particularly on adolescent girls and tackling menstrual hygiene stigma. In Morocco, basketball formed the heart of community engagement, then in Rwanda, dance became a tool for building employability and self-expression. In Tunisia, the project worked with young people learning to skateboard to strengthen self-esteem and connection to education, and in South Africa, snorkelling and marine activities introduced new ways to understand environmental responsibility. In Kenya, the Deaf Outreach Programme (DEAFOP) worked with deaf students, using volleyball sport and training in life and digital skills to build a supportive community, combat isolation, and instil confidence in the learners.
This 12-month participatory evaluation, known locally as Video Voice Research, supported organisations and young people to document the most significant stories of change using InsightShare’s PVMSC (Participatory Video for Most Significant Change) methodology.
Across all contexts, the approach placed storytelling in the hands of young people themselves, building confidence, inclusion and community through sport, creativity and collective reflection.
Whilst it was his first time visiting some of these countries, what he didn’t expect was how deeply those journeys would reshape his understanding of listening, learning, and fatherhood.
Sports as a Bridge for Social Change
“Sports became an anchor for social change,” Josiah explained, “especially in schools and communities where young people face isolation or poverty.”
Josiah observed how many young people grew up in fragmented or dysfunctional households, ranging from polygamous families in Benin to single-parent or orphaned children in Rwanda and the DRC. Across the region, youths lose access to emotional security, guidance, and role models as many families are affected by substance abuse, illness, or conflict, in addition to economic hardships.
Yet, he noticed that football training and environmental stewardship offered the girls a way to connect, build deep friendships and boost their self-esteem.
Listening to Children’s Voices in North Africa
Working with children in Morocco and Tunisia challenged his previous assumptions about age and participation. With the local team, Josiah adapted the PVMSC process to meet the children where they were at; with shorter activities, more movement, and more play built into the sessions.
Initially, he was slightly doubtful if it would work as a tool. “But the camera sparked so much curiosity. (The children’s) attention spans were short, but their imagination was endless.”
Video as an aid for Hearing Impairment
Josiah’s most striking experience came in Kenya, in his own homeland, where he worked with a secondary school for deaf young people. He was moved by how video could be an aid to those who are differently abled. “The approach was very helpful for them as video works really well for people with hearing impairments, even better than for those who can hear,” he noticed.
Aside from the students, he also equipped and trained a teacher who was already tasked with creating video tests for deaf students during national examinations. As a result, the teacher is now far better skilled and resourced to conduct these critical assessments effectively in the future.
What was even more revealing was how the school had a video module but no equipment to complete it. Through the SESLA-funded research, the local organisation bought cameras that became vital tools not only for the evaluation but for submitting national exam results.
“It built their confidence and self-expression,” Josiah said. The filming equipment was left with the school, ensuring that the skills would continue long after the workshop ended.
From the Ocean to the Classroom
In South Africa, nature-based activities like swimming, snorkelling and innovative lessons about marine life and waste disposal helped transform the youths’ fear about water into curiosity. The screenings of young people’s videos linking ocean pollution to community waste sparked unexpected change, too. “Stakeholders were surprised by the stories,” Josiah said. “They decided to extend the workshops after realising the impact they had on the kids.”
Elsewhere, the PVMSC approach continued to open new conversations. Across every country, Josiah saw how storytelling invited empathy and understanding; not only amongst youth, but amongst the adults who watched their films.
The Power of Story in Seeing
After months on the road, Josiah returned home with new perspectives both as a professional and a parent. “If you want to understand someone, ask them: tell me your story,” he said. “That answers almost everything.”
Working closely with children also reshaped his view of parenting. “I’m a better father after listening to my kids better,” he reflected. “Kids are not just children, they, too, are human beings who can speak for themselves.”
For Josiah, the project reaffirmed what InsightShare has long believed: that storytelling is a form of seeing. It is not about control or perfection of a narrative, but about the process. “You have to be willing to be vulnerable and to be ready to listen,” he said.
Additionally, Josiah observed how these spaces for storytelling were a consequence of safe, supportive environments that the project enabled.
Across eight countries, from skating parks to coastal clean-ups, from schools for deaf young people to youth centres, young people could explore their abilities without fear or judgement. When these environments become hubs of belonging and empowerment; one truth emerged salient; that when people are trusted to tell their own stories, they reveal insights and showcase courage that no outsider could script.
About the authors
Taahira is our InsightShare Learning and Trainings Officer, who loves learning, documenting and playing in the intersection of all things culture, ecology, food and people.
Josiah is a monitoring and evaluation expert, socio-economist and researcher with over 15 years of experience supporting, designing and leading outcomes and impact measurement processes for conservation, resilience, health, livelihoods and development programs. His strengths, interests, and passions are in the design and application of modern monitoring and evaluation processes.