About KINDRED
Founded in 2014 in Portland, Oregon, KINDRED partners with communities in East Africa, West Africa, and South Asia to deliver clean water, quality education, community health, food security, and women's economic empowerment.
Our story
Maya Patel and Samuel Omondi met at UNICEF in 2012, where both were working on WASH programming in East Africa. What united them was a frustration: too many donor-led projects that built things communities did not want, or couldn't maintain, and then left.
In 2014, with $80,000 in seed funding from a Portland philanthropist, they launched KINDRED with a single project: a solar-powered borehole in Kibwezi, Kenya, co-designed with the community and maintained by a locally elected committee. That well still functions today. The repayment fund has paid for three repairs.
The model was proven. By 2019, 100,000 people had clean water. By 2024, KINDRED had reached 787,000 people across five programmes and eight countries, with $14.2 million raised from 34,000 donors worldwide.
What we believe
We ask 'what do you already have?' before 'what do you need?' Every programme is designed with, not for, the communities we serve.
We publish full financial accounts, failure reports, and outcome data. Trust is earned through honesty, not branding.
Every programme we run has an exit strategy. Our goal is to work ourselves out of a job — by building capacity that outlasts us.
We do not chase short-term impact metrics. We invest in structures, skills, and relationships that compound across generations.
The people
Executive Director
Maya co-founded KINDRED in 2014 after a decade working in international development for UNICEF and Oxfam. She holds an MPP from Harvard Kennedy School and a deep conviction that local ownership is the only kind of change that lasts.
Director of Programmes
Samuel brings 18 years of field experience in East Africa, having led water, sanitation, and health programmes for WaterAid and the Gates Foundation. A Kenyan by birth, he holds a PhD in Public Health from Makerere University.
Director of Finance & Compliance
Priya oversees KINDRED's financial operations, audit processes, and donor reporting. A CPA with 14 years in nonprofit finance, she is the reason we have consistently earned four-star Charity Navigator status since 2018.
Volunteer & Partnerships Director
James manages KINDRED's global volunteer network of 200+ active volunteers and our 88 corporate partnership relationships. A former Peace Corps volunteer himself, he has lived and worked in Ghana, Uganda, and Bangladesh.
Head of Communications
Seren spent ten years as a journalist covering humanitarian crises for the BBC and The Guardian before joining KINDRED to tell stories differently — not of suffering, but of resilience, ingenuity, and community strength.
Technology & Data Director
Alibek built KINDRED's open data platform, which tracks every borehole, school, and clinic in real time. A software engineer turned social entrepreneur, he believes that transparent data is the most powerful tool a nonprofit can wield.
Finances
We publish full audited financial statements, programme outcome reports, and even our failure case studies every year. We believe you deserve to know exactly how your money is used.
KINDRED holds four-star Charity Navigator status and GuideStar Platinum rating. We are a registered 501(c)(3) organisation (EIN 12-3456789). All donations are tax-deductible in the United States.
Note: Financial figures shown are for the 2024 fiscal year. Full audited accounts are available on request.
Overall spend breakdown
Programme spend (within 89%)
Clean Water 38%, Health Clinics 26%, Education 18%, Food Security 11%, Women's Empowerment 7%
Every donation, every volunteer placement, every fundraising effort makes the map a little fuller and the future a little brighter.