UMOJA PARTNERSHIP, INC.

Umoja Partnership is a partnership of many faiths, from different cultures, on two continents, united in our service to change lives by keeping children in school. Our vision is transforming communities one child at a time. We are an innovative model of interfaith and cross-cultural cooperation in which congregations from diverse faith traditions in Indianapolis are working with a similar coalition of congregations in rural western Kenya. The cornerstone of our work is the recognition that all people of faith, regardless of their particular faith perspective or cultural tradition, share a commitment to mercy and social justice. Building upon that shared commitment, the two coalitions are res... read more Umoja Partnership is a partnership of many faiths, from different cultures, on two continents, united in our service to change lives by keeping children in school. Our vision is transforming communities one child at a time. We are an innovative model of interfaith and cross-cultural cooperation in which congregations from diverse faith traditions in Indianapolis are working with a similar coalition of congregations in rural western Kenya. The cornerstone of our work is the recognition that all people of faith, regardless of their particular faith perspective or cultural tradition, share a commitment to mercy and social justice. Building upon that shared commitment, the two coalitions are responding to the multiple needs of Maseno Division's most at-risk children. Over half the households in this rural area near Lake Victoria (Maseno Division of Nyanza Province) are in extreme poverty and 20 percent of the primary school children have lost one or both parents to AIDS or other diseases. Primary school children drop out of school or perform poorly because families lack basic necessities; tuition for secondary school is prohibitive for students whose family income often is less than a dollar per day. We have developed a compassionate and comprehensive system of care which responds both to the immediate and long-term needs of these orphans and vulnerable children. Working in partnership with a network of congregations, schools, women's groups, and other health and social service organizations in western Kenya, the Umoja Project provides multiple services which insure uninterrupted education, food security, safe housing, and healthy psychosocial development by supporting children and their families through direct assistance with school fees, school lunches, and services which address basic individual and household needs; building the long-term capacity of families, communities, and local faith-based organizations to sustain support for their children; and strengthening linkages among faith-based and community-based service providers to encourage cooperative and effective support for children in need. After ten years of work, the Umoja Partnership is recognized for being "different" from other service organizations. Most prominently we stand out because of our partnership model which permeates every aspect our organization: the coalition of congregations in Indiana partners with the coalition of congregations in Kenya to establish program priorities and implementation strategies; provide education and advocacy in their respective congregations, denominations, governmental structures and larger communities; and identify and mobilize human and financial resources to support the Umoja Project. The Project partners with guardian groups, which enables the most disenfranchised members of the communities we serve to participate in program development, and the Umoja Project partners with schools and congregations for service delivery. This cross-cultural partnership model enables our two coalitions to build on respective strengths and resources while working together to build a strong service delivery system. For everyone involved, the partnership has provided an opportunity to work with people of other faith traditions, focusing on what we have in common rather than what divides us.