Kumi Foundation

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Kids in the DRC

Creating positive impact beyond compliance

Kumi Foundation is an independent UK registered charity working to create pathways from vulnerability to dignified work and sustainable livelihoods in supply chain communities. Kumi Foundation strengthens community support systems, connects education and skills development with employment opportunities, and brings together local organisations, businesses and supporters to create lasting change.

Global supply chains generate immense value, but the people and communities within them are often excluded from the prosperity they help create.

Poverty, limited access to education, weak support systems and a lack of economic opportunity can increase vulnerability to exploitation and human rights abuses. These challenges cannot be addressed through corporate compliance programmes alone. They require sustained responses led by organisations that understand the local context and have trusted relationships within their communities.

Many local organisations provide vital care, protection, education and family support. However, their work is often constrained by limited resources, fragile organisational systems and insufficient access to the wider partnerships and opportunities that could help extend their impact.

There is also often no clear route from care and education into relevant skills, dignified work and sustainable livelihoods. Kumi Foundation exists to help strengthen and connect that pathway.

Why this matters for responsible supply chains

Supply chains that help communities to prosper and support equitable, sustainable livelihoods, are resilient supply chains that enable business success.

While Kumi Consulting helps companies and policymakers strengthen responsible sourcing, human rights due diligence and supply chain practices, Kumi Foundation works with trusted local organisations to address poverty, human rights abuses and limited economic opportunity within supply chain communities.

By convening partnerships and connecting skills development with employment opportunities, Kumi Foundation helps create conditions in which both communities and supply chains can thrive.

By strengthening local organisations and their delivery systems, Kumi Foundation helps build resilience and unlock better outcomes for communities while contributing to the conditions on which more stable, sustainable and equitable supply chains depend.

Learn more about Kumi Foundation

Learn more about Kumi Foundation’s work, partnerships and pilot programmes and how it is helping create pathways to opportunity in supply chain communities.

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Frequently Asked Questions

  • Why is community investment relevant to responsible supply chains?

    Many supply-chain risks are connected to wider social and economic conditions, including poverty, limited educational opportunities and a lack of sustainable livelihoods. Supporting trusted local organisations can help address these underlying challenges while strengthening the resilience of communities connected to global supply chains.

  • How can organisations get involved?

    Businesses, investors and funders can support Kumi Foundation through partnerships, funding initiatives or collaborating on long-term programmes linked to supply chain communities.