Business Description
Kuumba Health LLC is an interfaith, clinical, and culturally affirming practice. Our motto is “Fostering the Soulcare in Healthcare.” Because of my mother’s mental health challenges, when I was young I had to be her health support and her prayer warrior. When her doctors asked if she was stable, they didn’t consider if she was happy, had enough family support to get better, or who she would become once she was labeled as having a mental illness. She wasn’t alone. From doing research I found that 1 in 4 women of African descent had mental health challenges. Additionally, many had unresolved harm that remained unexpressed for generations. I saw our similarities in our differences, and strategically worked to change the outcomes of this for future generations.
Kuumba Health specializes in convening engaging retreats leading participants on how to create books of poetry, inspirational products, and original theater pieces, to transform their legacies and create a renewed family story. We support women, children, gender variant, and same-gender-loving people’s upliftment through the use of theater, interactive activities, and life skills to help them achieve their fullest purpose. These are usually young urban professionals and these “transformative performance training” retreats support them to achieve their success and find creative solutions for managing life’s stressors.
Over the last 10 years, I have pulled on my experience as a trained Masters Level Holistic Psychologist, Interfaith leader, and Therapeutic Artist to facilitate and support participants at conferences, webinars, workshops, and retreats. I also recruit experienced co facilitators and volunteers to help support larger groups and retreats. This past year, over 250 participants worldwide have participated in Kuumba Health trainings, retreats, and workshops to become powerful leaders who make informed health choices on and off stage. This was stage one. With your support we can offer on-going workshops versus one-off projects that can create longer term results supporting success. This way we can reduce stress and prevent long-term stress related illnesses, in real time.
This loan will help Kuumba Health expand our program and further impact our community. These performance trainings will now be turned into media and sentimental products. They will include: Trademarked Poetry Books, DVD’s, postcards, and webinars, each created from the culmination performances and artistic final projects of transformed participants. Our products will yield 60% gross margin enabling me to be profitable in the near term. Building relationships and change takes time- your investment makes this possible. See us in action: here: http://www.khhp.org/media/2015/12/31/kuumba-health-testimonials
What is the purpose of this loan?
I currently meet with individuals and facilitate groups one time for our engaging workshops and retreats. At the end of our wonderful time together, 90% of participants write on their survey results very positive reviews. Many also write that we just began to scratch the surface and they need more consistent support. I simply don’t have the funds to make that consistent support happen in a timely manner. Due to not having enough start up funds, the basic costs of, for example, space rental and supplies are transferred over to participants. Giving to this loan will cover those basic start up costs, and make it affordable and competitive for people to attend our sessions. This loan will ensure those 250 + raving reviews and needs for more time together can be met more immediately. I am committed to creating the on-going programmatic support requested by conference, symposium, and workshop participants, to ensure loyal participants and successful outcomes. Our immediate outcomes have proven to creatively support stress management, support healthy relationship choices, etc. Our long term goal is to help prevent stress related illnesses in creative ways. Through our on-going transformative performance trainings, participants will be guided on how to step into their highest vision of themselves, “healthy and whole.”
This Kiva Zip loan will help us at Kuumba Health, LLC to sustain and continue the service of “Fostering the Soulcare in Healthcare.” In our last survey, participants from all over the country gave insight into how they would want the direction of this project to go, in order to ensure community buy in. I have used all of my savings in service of my business, and now am ready to create revenue for sustainable on-going programming connected to our mission. We are at a pivotal cross road of ensuring our business’ growth.
The proceeds from the loan will be used to kick off our 2015-2016 series: a) Hire Social media marketer: $2,000 b) Website maintenance & Business Branding: $430 c) Promotional materials & logo design: $575 d) Art Materials & Health Education supplies: $466 e) Rental Space: $2230 f) Printer paper and ink: $250 g) Professional Liability Insurance: $74 Total: 6,025
See our Kiva Zip Kuumba trailer here: http://video214.com/play/bdftWoUDkbdMR0F4UtQNnw/s/dark