Tumaini ("Too-My-EE-knee") is a Kiswahili word meaning hope. Tumaini International is a faith-based organization providing basic needs of living to vulnerable children and communities who have been affected by AIDS in Eastern Kenya. Although we are a faith-based organization, we do not exclude service to anyone based on their religion.

Tumaini International, Inc. is incorporated in the State of California under Section 501(c)3. (Tax ID # 91-215-7825). The organization has been registered to operate in Kenya as Tumaini International Organization since 2003 before changing to Tumaini International Trust in 2012.

Tumaini International began in the fall of 2001 by Stanley and Rose Mutunga. At the time, Stanley was Dean of the Graduate School at Hope International University in Fullerton, California. They, along with their three boys, started Tumaini International in response to a growing need in their native country of Kenya of responding to orphaned children due to the AIDS epidemic. At the time, AIDS took nearly 700 people a day. Stanely and Rose began by assisting 15 orphans, and within a few years, they were supporting hundreds of children through Tumaini.

Tumaini International does not rely on any funding from government grants. Tumaini is entirely funded by individuals, churches, businesses, foundations and community groups who want to assist orphans, vulnerable children, their families and communities in Kenya, East Africa.

A Board of Directors, who meet quarterly, govern Tumaini International providing fiduciary governance and oversight of the staff.

It costs $38 per month or $456 annually.

Sponsorship continues through grade 12 or the equivalent vocational training. The Kenyan school year ends in December, so we ask sponsors to continue support through the following June allowing the student time to transition to life on their own– find a job or go to college. For those students in vocational training, we ask sponsors to continue sponsorship for three months following completion to allow the child time to find employment.

However, if you are unable to continue as a sponsor, we will do our best to find your child another sponsor. Once sponsored, a child is not dropped from the Tumaini program until they complete the program. Early notification helps us to prevent lapses in support for sponsored children.

Yes, letters, cards, and family photos are encouraged! Please email general@tumainiinternational.org or you may mail any correspondence (clearly labeled with your child’s name and ID#) to our U.S. office, P.O. Box 6072, Corona, CA 92878. In addition we provide some card options on our website.

Purpose

The purpose of this policy is to ensure the safety and well-being of the children supported by Tumaini by setting clear communication boundaries between sponsors and children. We aim to create a supportive and secure environment for all interactions. In addition, we seek to protect a sponsor’s privacy.

Scope

This policy applies to everyone who sponsors or supports children through Tumaini.

Policy Statement

At Tumaini, the safety, dignity, and happiness of every child are our top priorities. To protect children from potential risks and to maintain consistent safeguarding standards, all communication between sponsors and children must go through Tumaini.

Guidelines

Indirect Communication Only

All letters, photos, and updates must be sent via Tumaini. Direct communication with children—through phone calls, emails, social media, or any other digital platform—is not allowed. Once a child ages out of our program we no longer monitor communication but strongly urge sponsors and alumni to communicate through our office.

No Social Media Contact

Sponsors are not permitted to connect with or message children or their family members on social media platforms such as Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, or similar apps. In addition, we ask that if sponsors share photos of children on their social media, please use first name only and avoid reference to their specific location.

No In-Person Meetings Without Authorization

Personal visits to sponsored children may occur during vision trips. These visits will always be supervised by Tumaini staff.

Content Restrictions

Sponsors should avoid including any inappropriate or culturally insensitive material in their communications. Messages should be age-appropriate and respectful.

Monitoring and Review

Tumaini reserves the right to review all sponsor communications with children to ensure they align with our child protection standards. Any concerns will be addressed promptly and may lead to changes in sponsorship privileges.

Reporting Concerns

If sponsors become aware of any situation that could pose a risk to a child's well-being, they should report it to Tumaini immediately.

Item delivery logistics prohibit sending gifts directly to your child. However, you may donate over and above your monthly sponsorship for family food packages or a Christmas gift voucher. In efforts to maximize your donation, your gift funds are wired to our Kenyan field staff where the actual purchase of said gift is made. These donations can be made online or in check form indicating Christmas” in the memo line.

Additionally, you may support your child’s guardian through guardian empowerment gifts.

*Note: If you are traveling to Kenya on a Tumaini Vision Trip, you are welcome to bring a small gift for your sponsored child such as T-shirt, baseball cap, backpack, or candy. Check with your team leader for package size/weight restrictions.

No, Tumaini does not send reminders, but we do send year-end statements. If you desire, automatic recurring donations can be set up on this website. This payment method allows you to maintain security and control of the frequency and duration of your donations by managing any changes you desire. If you do online banking, it is possible to set up Tumaini as a payee and manage your donation that way. Please use your child’s name or ID # as the account number.

Yes, you can set up a payment schedule that works best for you–monthly, bimonthly, quarterly, semi-annually or annually. Please email us let us know what you want to do, and we will do our best to accommodate.

At least 81% of your donation goes directly to Tumaini programs and services. That's more than 80 cents of each dollar going directly to serving people in need. With the national average being between 45%-85%, we pride ourselves on being at the high end of funds directly funding programs/services.

Our policy on program donations is as follows:

• An administration fee of 20 percent will be assessed on program donations up to $50,000.

• Giving above $50,000 per donation will be charged an administration fee that equals the three-year average of operating costs. As of April 2025 this three-year average is 12 percent.

• In no instance, unless otherwise directed by the donor or grantor, will the administrative fee exceed $25,000.Tumaini.

*Note: Administrative fees are used to fund the operational portion of programs both in the United States and in Kenya.

Tumaini has an open book policy and undergoes voluntary financial review by an outside accounting firm for accountability. All financial records are available in our U.S. office upon request.

Yes, all funding Tumaini International receives can be directed to specific programs per request. If you wish to restrict the use of your donation to a particular purpose, we will honor your request, or if we are unable to, we will immediately inform you and offer suggestions for comparable needs. We have not–and will not–collect money for a particular incident or purpose with the intention of using it for other purposes.

Yes, you can donate online using our secure online donation and set up an automatic recurring donation via the form located under the donate tab. Some individuals have also found it helpful to use their personal online banking provider with recurring donations by making Tumaini a payee on their list and using their sponsored child’s name and ID number for the account number.

Tumaini is grateful for individuals and businesses that independently wish to raise funds for our organization. All such fundraising should be for the organization or support projects within our 4-pillars: Child Sponsorship, Education, Healthcare and Socio-Economic Development. There are online programs and resources we can offer for such fundraising.

We regret that we are unable to offer fundraising platforms for individual trip costs. Any funds raised are to be used for Tumaini programs and not contingent upon an individual’s participation.

For more info or specificities, send us an email.

Vision Trips are opportunities for people to travel to Kenya and see first hand what Tumaini is doing in Kenya while participating in bringing hope. Tumaini International views Vision Trips as unique opportunities to witness the particular needs of developing countries and see what is already being done in those areas while discovering your niche for service.

We typically offer 14-day Vision Trips during the months of June, July, & August with various additional off-season opportunities at different times throughout the year. More details can be found here. Please send us an email for dates of trips.

Yes, Tumaini International volunteer opportunities exist for special events generally held in the fall in Southern California. Limited Internship opportunities exist abroad.

If you are interested in becoming an intern or volunteer, please contact a staff member to work with you to see how your talents can be of use within our program.

Tumaini International works with voluntary photographers who participate in Vision Trips to Kenya. They have agreed to provide the organization with images to be used for our publications and website only. We ask that you do not reuse or copy our images since they are the property of the photographer or Tumaini.

In addition, please be mindful of the safety and privacy of the children and adults we serve. When posting photos, please use only first names and avoid references to their locations.