Kuumba Partners in Sustainability

Kuumba means "creativity" in Kiswahili: To do as much as we can, in whatever way we can, to leave our community more beautiful and beneficial than it was when we inherited it.


Since AIDS in Africa has stricken parents during their prime working and child-rearing years, Kuumba is focused on training and working with the widows and many orphaned young people who are struggling to survive.

To improve the health of the community and to promote healthy, self-sufficient, and sustainable communities in Kenya, Urgent Africa's Kuumba works in partnership with the local people to assess the community's resources and needs for power, clean water, housing, waste disposal, sustainable agriculture and economic development. Kuumba is also working with the community to develop village-owned businesses that rely on readily available resources.

The success of Kuumba relies largely on skilled volunteers who develop solutions to community challenges, in cooperation with the village, using resources that are indigenous to the area. The areas of partnership with the village may include: agriculture projects, skills training, water projects, animal husbandry, tree crops and sustainable forestry, appropriate technology, housing, and economic development that is appropriate and relevant to the community. Working in partnership with villagers, the students and volunteers gain incredibly gratifying life experiences.

Click to inquire about our Volunteer Program