By: Vincent Cochet, High School Student from Berlin, Germany Hello, my name is Vincent and I am a 16-year-old from Berlin, Germany. I am volunteering with Ho’okua’āina for three months as part of a High School program that asks every student in my grade to volunteer abroad on a social project. The purpose is all...
For me, this project has been one of the greatest honors of my life. School is sometimes frustrating, but working with Hoʻokuaʻāina has never been anything less than a profound joy. Part of my mom’s family goes back more than five generations in Kailua, including the Maunawili area specifically.
Just like the process of hehi, stomping, and turning over the lepo to prepare a patch for the next cycle of growth, this new year brings with it new nutrients and abundance; excitement for what’s to come.
This program has helped me in so many ways. It has helped me work better with my social anxiety, given me a space where I know who I can come to if anything were to happen and has made me hopeful for my future. The program has also flowed through me to my family.
I’m very grateful to have been put in many situations where I had to teach this summer. It’s definitely something out of my comfort zone but it’s taught me more than I could imagine. I’m more conscious of my actions, my words, my attitude, and my energy.
At the junction of the Kaloʻs hā and lau lies the piko. This is the navel of the plant. An indispensable connection that tethers the ʻiʻo at the base of the kalo to the outstretched alo of the lau.
Itʻs been an interesting past couple of months witnessing the growth and transformation of Kapalai.
2020 marks the year we take a step back as an ʻohana and makaluhi. Literally translated makaluhi means tired eyes but in this case, we use it as an adjective to describe “a period of rest or feasting which follows a prolonged season of toil” (wehewehe.org). We have certainly toiled and there is much more that lies ahead, but we are purposefully taking this year to makaluhi – to sit back a bit and gaze with satisfaction at how far we have come.
Global Village is a boutique in Kailua run by a mother and daughters’ team, Sharrie, Debbie and Dawn. The trio uses their business to facilitate awareness of Ho`okua`aina and raise money with their recyclable bag program. This is the fourth year that Global Village has incorporated their team, customers, vendors, and non-profit partnerships to celebrate...
Our internship program has become a vital part of our organization. 10-15 interns spend 10 weeks with us over the course of the year, some stay for the entire year. The hardest part for us is building close relationships with these young passionate individuals and then having to say goodbye when it is time for...
Huakaʻi – Staff visit to Kauaʻi An important aspect of our internship program is professional development. Throughout the year we provide workshops on various subjects such as financial literacy, grant writing, nonprofit organizational development, and food safety. Once or twice a year we offer opportunities for our entire staff to visit neighbor islands and learn...
In July 2018, 15 staff from the Ho’okua’āina ʻohana will embark upon a journey to gain ancestoral knowledge and make connections with our brothers and sisters in Rurutu, a small island in French Polynesia. For 2 weeks we will be immersed with a people who still live and practice the way of their ancestors uninterrupted for over 2000 years. Their kalo traditions are almost identical to Hawaii. We go there in search of lost ancient knowledge and important cultural connections vital to us as we search the past to find answers for our future. We humbly ask that you support us on this journey.
Here we are, already at the end of the first month of what promises to be another fantastic year. 2017 was a booming year for Hoʻokuaʻāina. During Christmas break, as a staff, we took a much-needed rest for 2 weeks from groups, harvest, production, and just all the normal day to day operations of our...
Life “after the fundraiser” fondly became referred to as ATF during the chaos of planning over the last couple months. Our staff could barely see the light at the end of the tunnel as our 10th anniversary first annual fundraiser approached and all of us, although excited, couldn’t wait for the preparations to be over and for our lives to return back to normal. Normal at Hookuaaina is a pace that I used to think of as crazy busy. Next to pulling off a fundraiser, it feels like a piece of cake! Hosting groups 5 days out of the week, managing a farm, producing poi, writing grants, having random people pop in all the time, raising a family, goats, chickens, dogs, cats, no problem! I even heard the words come out of my mouth “I would much rather write 10 grants than coordinate a fundraiser!” Never in a million years did I ever imagine myself saying those words.
It’s that time of year again…. Dusting off backpacks, gathering supplies, haircuts, alarms, uniforms. It all begins to settle in that this short season of fun is about to end and everyone in my household walks around with their heads hanging low. I have to admit, Dean and I do it too. I often wonder...
Since getting married over twenty years ago, my wife Michele and I have always had some type of garden. At one point we started growing kalo in our backyard for the luau leaf to make laulau and luau stew. It felt so empowering to grow our own and not have to rely on buying it....
Where’s your data, Where’s your evidence, How do you know you are making a difference, How do you know it works, How long will it take??? – The famous questions we get asked all the time. Yes, they are very important. As we find ourselves in roundtable discussions with some of the best ʻāina based...
I love this time of year. It usually happens around Halloween that we feel a distinct shift in season. The breeze feels different. It’s very olu olu or nice on the skin. It cools down a bit and makes you want to pull out your favorite sweatshirt and snuggle up in a cozy blanket. Okay, it’s still 77 degrees but it’s the notion of the shift that brings excitement in the atmosphere. It’s time to make a favorite soup and start preparing for the holidays. My soup pot has been working overtime lately. I love this!
Community partnerships are vital to the sustainability of our programs for ‘ohana and youth. To piggyback on the blog from two weeks ago titled “Kīpuka”, we would like to share what Global Village wrote about the importance of our partnership from their perspective as a longstanding family-owned retail business and pillar of character in the...
It’s been a busy two weeks for Dean and I. Last week we presented to a room filled with 200 funders, investors, and budding social enterprises. 25 enterprises that have completed the Hawaii Investment Ready cohort shared in panel presentations how our organizations are creating a collaborative movement across the state for social impact and...
Hoʻokuaʻāina is located in the ahupuaʻa of Kailua at Kapalai in Maunawili on the island of Oʻahu. Get Directions.
For more information about our programs or how you can get involved please contact us.
916E Auloa Rd.
Kailua, HI 96734
P.O. Box 342146
Kailua, HI 96734
Hoʻokuaʻāina is located in the ahupuaʻa of Kailua at Kapalai in Maunawili on the island of Oʻahu.
For more information about our programs or how you can get involved please contact us.
916E Auloa Rd.
Kailua, HI 96734
P.O. Box 342146
Kailua, HI 96734
Reach Us At:
Hoʻokuaʻāina is a 501c3 Non-Profit Organization
© Hoʻokuaʻāina 2020 All Rights Reserved | Terms & Conditions | Privacy | Site By Created By Kaui
Hoʻokuaʻāina is a 501c3 Non-Profit Organization
© Hoʻokuaʻāina 2020 All Rights Reserved | Terms & Conditions | Privacy | Site By Created By Kaui
Hoʻokuaʻāina is a 501c3 Non-Profit Organization
© Hoʻokuaʻāina 2020 All Rights Reserved | Terms & Conditions | Privacy
Site By Created By Kaui