Transparency is not a bonus feature of ethical nonprofit practice. It is the foundation. When you choose to support Ubuntu Village, you deserve to know — specifically, concretely — where that support goes and how it moves through our work. This post is our answer to that. No vague assurances, no percentage games. Just a clear account of how donated funds become programs, partnerships, and real change in East Harlem, Kenya, Uganda, and Nigeria.
“We don’t hold your donations in reserve. We put them to work — in communities that are already doing the work.”
Our Commitment to Direct Funding
Ubuntu Village does not retain donated funds for administrative overhead. Every dollar contributed to our programs is distributed directly to those programs and the individuals and communities they serve. The only deductions are standard payment processing fees from platforms such as PayPal or MoneyGram — unavoidable costs of moving money across borders and systems.
This is not a marketing claim. It is how we are structured and how we operate. We are a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2016, and our financials are publicly available through Charity Navigator and GuideStar for anyone who wants to verify.
Where the Funds Go
Donated funds support the following program areas across our four geographies. These are not categories we chose for appeal — they are the areas our community partners have identified as most critical, and where direct funding creates the most durable impact.
- ‣ Food access — community feeding programs in Nairobi and East Harlem, providing consistent nutrition to families and individuals navigating food insecurity
- ‣ Education — school fees, materials, and academic support for children in Uganda and Kenya who would otherwise be unable to attend or remain in school
- ‣ Solar energy — household and small business solar access in Uganda, through our partnership with BrightLife/FINCA, prioritizing women-led homes
- ‣ Skills and livelihood training — programs that build long-term economic agency for adults navigating job transitions or rebuilding after crisis
- ‣ Emergency assistance — direct, time-sensitive support for families facing acute financial need
- ‣ Community health — resources and access that support physical and mental wellbeing across our program communities
Why We Talk About Partnership, Not Charity
Ubuntu Village was founded on the Ubuntu philosophy: I am because we are. That premise shapes not just what we fund but how we show up. We don’t arrive in communities with predetermined solutions. We build relationships, listen to what’s needed, and resource what’s already underway.
When you support Ubuntu Village, you’re not funding a savior operation. You’re investing in the infrastructure that community leaders are already building — in East Harlem, in Nairobi, in Kampala, in Lagos. That distinction matters, and it shapes every decision we make about where money goes and how it’s used. If you’ve ever wondered what life as a nonprofit executive director is really like, those decisions are constant — and rarely straightforward.
We share ongoing updates about program impact through our blog, social media, and donor communications. Transparency doesn’t end at the transaction — it’s how we stay accountable to the communities we work alongside. If you’re considering how to make your support most sustainable over time, recurring giving is the answer many donors arrive at — why recurring giving deepens partnership over time makes the case for what consistent monthly support unlocks for nonprofits like Ubuntu Village.
If you have questions about how your contribution is used, or you want to explore what a deeper partnership with Ubuntu Village looks like, we would be glad to hear from you.
Community is the medicine.
Every dollar you contribute goes directly to communities in East Harlem, Kenya, Uganda, and Nigeria. No overhead retained — just partnership in practice.
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Every dollar is a thread in the same fabric — East Harlem to Kenya to Uganda to Nigeria. I Am Because We Are. And Together, We Heal.
Michele Mitchell is the Founder, President & CEO of Ubuntu Village Inc., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit rooted in East Harlem, New York, with programs in Kenya, Uganda, and Nigeria. A writer, advocate, and community strategist working at the intersection of ancestral wisdom, public health, and community power, Michele leads Ubuntu Village’s work to center communities as the protagonists of their own healing. She writes from the conviction that science and spirit are complementary, that healing is relational, and that community is the medicine.
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