Impact
Our impact
We are deliberately small and deliberately honest. Five scholars in active support, four years since founding, a single origin in the DRC, and the holistic package that sits behind every scholarship.
Key metrics
What we measure
Real numbers, updated as the program grows. We won't inflate them; today's number is five, and that is the one we share.
- Scholars in active support
- 5
- Founded
- June 2021
- Origin
- DRC
Five scholars currently supported in full, each with the holistic package: school fees, learning materials, clothing, pocket money, and a dedicated mentor.
Umoja began with a single 10-year-old scholar. Support has expanded one student at a time, never faster than the relationships can carry.
Born from a volunteer mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where co-founder Baka first saw that survival aid was missing the thing that breaks cycles of poverty: education.
Scholar 01 — The first scholarship
A 10-year-old girl, 2021. Her parents couldn't afford the school fees. Umoja covered tuition, books, clothing, pocket money, and assigned her a dedicated mentor who checked in every term with guidance and encouragement.
That first scholarship defined the model. Not a cheque, but a relationship. The holistic package that Scholar 01 received is the same one every Umoja scholar receives today.
Year by year
How we have grown
From one scholar in 2021 to five in active support today, one year at a time.
2021
1
First scholar enrolled
2022
2
Second scholar added
2023
4
Expanded to four
2024+
5
Five in active support
Scholars 02 to 05 · From one to five
The success of the first year fuelled Umoja's passion.
Support expanded to four more students, each receiving the same holistic package: financial aid, mentorship, a sense of belonging, and the assurance that someone believes in their dreams. Today, Umoja proudly supports five students fully, thanks to the outpouring of support from volunteers and donors all over the world.
Full, named scholar stories with each scholar's consent are published in our annual impact reports.
We don't promise, we publish.
We publish an independent annual audit, not just internal figures.
We name the scholars and schools in our reports, with their consent.
When strategy changes, we explain why in writing before the next report.
Where the money goes
How funds are used
Our commitment for every dollar received. Audited actuals, with the full breakdown by program, geography, and cohort, publish each year in our annual impact report.
Scholarships
75%+
Direct disbursements: school fees, books, transport, exam fees, and basic living costs that keep scholars in school from nomination through graduation.
Mentorship
~15%
Mentor-coordinator stipends, alumni network operations, exam prep and career resources, and termly check-in materials.
Operations
10% max
Legal and accounting, the independent annual audit, software, and salaries for the small core team that keeps the program running.
Transparency
What we publish, and how often
Umoja publishes a full impact report each year, covering scholar outcomes, an independent financial audit, the schools and community leaders we work with, and what changed in our strategy. Updates fill in the months between.
We commit to honest accounting: when something underperforms, we say so; when we change strategy, we explain why; when a donor asks to see the books, we open them.
Donate with full transparency
Every dollar enters the system you just read about, tracked, audited, and reported on a published cadence.