Ubuntu Village · About Us · Who We Are
I Am Because We Are. And Together, We Heal.
Ubuntu Village Inc. is a New York–based 501(c)(3) nonprofit working alongside communities in Kenya, Uganda, and Nigeria on solar power, sustainable food systems, and ancestral-wisdom education. The people we work with are not recipients of a plan made elsewhere. They are the ones leading it.
“Communities are not problems to solve. They are stories waiting to be told.”
Ubuntu Village
Our Vision
Ubuntu Village was founded on the fundamental principle that our collective responsibility is to care for our planet and each other. Care is not charity. It is what a community owes itself, and what it is already practicing long before anyone from outside arrives to name it.
Our Mission
Ubuntu Village turns the collective responsibility of ‘we’ into measurable impact across Kenya, Nigeria, and Uganda. Focused on solar innovation and community-led growth, we work at the meeting point of ancestral values and modern technology — not because one corrects the other, but because both were always ways of knowing. We are collectively building a world where every village holds its own light and decides how to share it.
Building a Sustainable, Educated, and Inclusive Future
Ubuntu Village turns these beliefs into tangible work. We support sustainable living practices — organic farming and renewable energy projects that keep power and food decisions in local hands. Education sits at the heart of our efforts, with programs designed for people of every age to carry ecological knowledge forward rather than import it.
Alongside that, we invest in community support initiatives built on kindness, collaboration, and inclusion. Through these values and the programs that carry them, we work toward communities that thrive on mutual respect and shared purpose — the ones that already do, and the ones rebuilding after having that taken from them.
A solar installation in rural Uganda is not a gift dropped from a plane. It is a technician trained locally, a school that stays open after sunset, and a decision made by the people who live there. Partnership is what keeps that work moving.
Join the Work →Board of Directors
Ubuntu Village is governed by a board that carries the work in practice, not in name only.
Michele Mitchell
Founder, President & CEO
Michele Mitchell is the Founder, President, and CEO of Ubuntu Village Inc., a New York–based nonprofit dedicated to healing, dignity, and community empowerment. A strategist and cultural storyteller, she blends ancestral wisdom, public health advocacy, and digital innovation to create accessible, soul-centered programs that uplift the African diaspora.
Through Ubuntu Village, Michele champions emotional sovereignty, collective care, and justice-driven education, building spaces where people feel seen, supported, and connected. Her work continues to move communities to reclaim their power, honor their stories, and imagine a more humane future.
Adhiambo Mitchell
Treasurer & Chief Financial Officer
Adhiambo Mitchell is a Biomechanical Engineering and Technology professional with experience in logistics, distribution, and leadership, and a facilitator of community-based programs. He is well-versed in machine diagnostics, maintenance, and inventory management — a team player and team builder, able to create, organize, and accurately complete projects. Adhiambo enjoys building practical solutions, learning new technologies, and collaborating on meaningful work.
Valerie Joseph
Secretary
Valerie Joseph was born and raised in Queens Village, New York. Born with Spina Bifida with Hydrocephalus, Valerie has never allowed her disability to limit her ambitions or her self-expression.
She earned an Associate’s degree in Business Administration and a Bachelor’s degree in Management Technology from Farmingdale State University (SUNY). Since 2017 she has worked at the Drivers Cooperative as an Access-A-Ride Advocate, onboarding drivers onto the platform and maintaining their eligibility. She previously served as an Access-A-Ride Advocate for the Brooklyn Center for Independence of the Disabled, and is a personal advocate with the Caring Majority, where she advocates before the New York State Legislature on behalf of people with disabilities.
An African American woman of Haitian descent, Valerie uses motorized and manual wheelchairs depending on the situation. She is fluent in speaking and writing Haitian Creole, and is deeply committed to helping others succeed, professionally and personally.
Valerie is also a pageant title holder, crowned Ms. World Elegance 2020–2021. Her love of fashion, jewelry, and makeup led her to Design for Disability. She holds that disability does not diminish beauty, and that the runway gives her freedom and a way to express her inner self. She travels widely and never allows her disability to hold her back. Her life reflects resilience, confidence, advocacy, and a commitment to living boldly and unapologetically.
The Light Belongs to the Village.
Ubuntu Village works alongside communities in Kenya, Uganda, and Nigeria on solar access, food systems, and ancestral-wisdom education. That work is designed, run, and owned by the people who live there. Your partnership is what keeps the lights on after sunset and the training rooms full.
Partner With Us →If Ubuntu named something you already believed but had no words for, send this to the person who taught it to you first.
Ubuntu Village Inc. is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization — EIN 81-4465505 — headquartered in New York, with programs in Kenya, Uganda, and Nigeria. Read our Ethical Storytelling Policy to see the commitments that govern how we tell every story on this site.