In addition to growing produce using agroforestry and Indigenous methods, Kupa ʻAina also offers two programs to youth, Hoʻokahua Workforce Development Program and Hoʻokanaka Cultural Diversion Program. Through these programs, youth are given the opportunity to improve their vocational skills and strengthen their identity and values using ʻāina-based practices. The Indigenous Tomorrows Fund will support Kupa ʻAina as it continues to foster island resiliency, sustainability, and positive development in our youth. 

“During my time at Kupa ‘Aina, I learned to look at things from a different perspective, learned how to wait for the right place, the right time,” shares Colt, who experienced the transformative programs at Kupa ‘Aina. “Being at Kupa ‘Aina helped me change the way I think, the way I do things.” 

The Indigenous Tomorrows Fund is supporting organizations across the nation that are implementing community-led strategies to advance health and wellbeing, secure food justice for children, and strengthen intergenerational connections between culture and healing. The Indigenous Tomorrows Fund distributed $720,000 to communities across the United States. PIDF is honored to be 1 of 24 recipients, and 1 of only 3 in Hawaiʻi. 

This grant will help Kupa ʻAina continue connecting program participants, volunteers, and community members with ʻāina and sustainable natural farming methods. Through ʻāina, food security is one step closer, values are defined, and personal growth is achieved. 

Laulima
Kupa ʻAina would like to start bringing the community together to support food systems in Hawaiʻi and to reach out to, and make connections within our community.

What to bring:

• Filled water bottle/flask
• Comfortable and covered shoes
• Hat & gloves
• Sunscreen & bug spray

If you are interested in volunteering, please email kupaaina@pidfoundation.org . 

Laulima
Kupa ʻAina would like to start bringing the community together to support food systems in Hawaiʻi and to reach out to, and make connections within our community.

What to bring:

• Filled water bottle/flask
• Comfortable and covered shoes
• Hat & gloves
• Sunscreen & bug spray

If you are interested in volunteering, please email kupaaina@pidfoundation.org . 

The ASB volunteers and their families helped to lay pipe in the diversified crops area, cut lau in one of the nurseries, amd paint the foundation for a new farm mural, to be painted by 808 Urban.

Located on the Windward side of Oʻahu, Kupa ʻAina seeks to help develop sustainable food production models for Hawaiʻi nei.

The project utilizes a combination of Korean Natural Farming techniques and indigenous Hawaiian methods to create a practice that is uniquely Hawaiian and respectful of the land.

We mahalo ASB for their spirit of volunteerism and for continuing to be a valued partner to our efforts serving Hawaiʻi’s families and communities!

“My goal,” says Kūʻike about his work with Kupa ʻAina, “is always to just create impact — a rediscovering of our identity through food.”

Kūʻike’s affiliation to Partners in Development Foundation started accidentally — his daughters went through the Nā Pono No Nā ʻOhana preschool program several years back. When PIDF president and founder Jan Dill decided to start a program focused on sustainability in Hawaiʻi, Kūʻike was an easy choice.

Jan describes Kūʻike as a man committed to Hawaiian culture and to the role of the ʻāina in the lives of Hawaiian people. “What he does, what he is committed to, is consistent with our desire to bless our community and to help our community become resilient and healthy,” says Jan.

John “Prime” Hina has known Kūʻike for some time. Prime is the architect of 808 Urban, a Hawaiian nonprofit arts organization that seeks to teach Hawaiian cultural traditions and stories through street art.

“Kūʻike, if you can believe it or not, is one of our artists,” Prime jokes. Kūʻike is also one of the cultural specialists Prime and the rest of the 808 Urban ʻohana talks with to gain insight on projects.

On making connections to the land, Prime explains that reconnecting to the ʻāina is so much more than that. It includes the ocean, the sky, our whole environment around us. What this means for us, and what Kūʻike does through his work, is shifting perspectives.

“What [Kūʻike] is doing is contradicting what we think we know as far as land, as far as how we operate… when you put it in a Hawaiian lens, you see things differently and you move differently.”

Prime goes on to say, “Kūʻike is love. Love of land, love of culture, love of everything.”

International Volunteer Day (IVD) is an annual day mandated by the United Nations General Assembly since 1985. It promotes volunteerism and encourages governments to support volunteer efforts in their own countries.

IVD also stems from the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, targets set to deal with global issues like poverty, hunger, health, and access to quality education.

This year’s theme is ‘Volunteers Build Resilient Communities’, which recognizes volunteers worldwide while putting a special focus on local community leaders.

“Healthy and Resilient Communities” is part of our primary mission with all of our programs — from feeding communities with our Natural Farming program to serving homeless and at-risk families with Ka Paʻalana.

If we give people the tools to succeed, they will in turn be better stewards of their own communities.

How can you help build resiliency in your community?