WHAT WE DO
Rooted in the appreciation of what we have - and in the creativity and collective strength of our women - we believe that lasting change begins within. At Kuumba, we build on what's strong to shape vibrant, self-determined communities.
PROGRAMS & PROJECTS
At Kuumba Community Foundation, we design and implement community-rooted programs that strengthen women’s leadership, foster economic independence, and promote the sustainable use of natural resources.
Our model supports women to practice intercropping - both food and cash crops - using climate-resilient methods that nourish families and generate income from the same field. Through practical training, peer learning, and locally led philanthropy, we nurture a culture of healing, agency, and action — enabling women to care for the land, feed their families, and shape a future grounded in dignity and possibility.
Financial Inclusion
Our financial inclusion program supports women to build income-generating activities rooted in the resources they already have in their communities — from Non-Timber Forest Products and traditional crops to livestock and beneficial indigenous trees. Through training in financial literacy, collective savings groups, and enterprise development, women gain the tools to grow their incomes, support their families, and move toward economic independence — all while using natural resources sustainably.
Community Tree Nurseries and Reforestation
Agency Circles
Also known as Mukando Savings Circles, these women-led groups are facilitated by Kuumba’s Community Organizers across nine villages. They provide a safe and supportive space for collective learning, savings and lending, honest dialogue, and shared reflection. Through these circles, women build financial resilience, strengthen their voice, and become catalysts for healing and change within their families and communities..
Community Philanthropy
Sustainable Agriculture
We support women in arid regions to grow drought-resistant cash crops such as Kalahari Melon, Amaranth, and Sesame — intercropped with traditional grains and legumes to ensure both income and food security from the same fields. Our approach promotes regenerative farming practices that restore soil health, conserve water, and build long-term resilience for farming communities.
Our tree program is rooted in community care and local knowledge. We work with women and youth to establish tree nurseries and communal tree lots in each village where Kuumba operates, focusing on indigenous, multipurpose species that support food security, soil health, and biodiversity.
Our main nursery — with over 1,000 seedlings — serves as a central learning and propagation hub, growing species such as Marula, Kigelia (Sausage Tree), Afzelia (Pod Mahogany), and Ximenia caffra. Through this program, communities are restoring degraded land, regenerating local forests, and building climate resilience one tree at a time.
At Kuumba, community philanthropy is led by rural women who pool their time, skills, and resources to invest in local priorities. Through savings circles, shared labor, and collective decision-making, they have supported school scholarships, revived village playgrounds, built classroom blocks, and launched care projects that benefit the entire community.
Rooted in generosity and shared responsibility, this work shows that even in resource-scarce settings, women are creating powerful systems of care — giving back to their communities and to the land that sustains them.
WHERE WE WORK
We work across four villages in Buhera District — Dzenga, Mafuruse, Jori, and Gwenukwenu — where women are shaping vibrant, resilient futures grounded in what their communities already know and have.
