About Tumaini la Maisha

Our Mission

“Tumaini La Maisha” is “Hope For the Future” in Swahili, and our name represents our deepest beliefs. Our organization strengthens women and girls’ health and education through financial assistance and community programs for families in Western Kenya. We especially focus on children and caregivers living on less than a dollar a day.

Our Story

Tumaini La Maisha (TLM) is run by Executive Director & Co-Founder Phoebe D. Ekman, along with her international team, family, and community across Kenya, the U.S., and Canada. Phoebe was driven to launch TLM in 2021 alongside her husband, retired navy veteran and co-founder Todd Ekman, after almost 20 years of developing communities in Nairobi and Kisumu, Kenya with other NGOs. Phoebe’s passion for this work is rooted in her soul. She grew up in Kenya in the 80’s and 90’s and experienced firsthand the impacts of the patriarchal culture that persists today, where boys are still so much more likely to be supported than girls, and the whole society loses out. Thanks to Phoebe’s dedication, 234 girls have gone to universities and colleges since 2014. TLM carries forward work that Phoebe has been leading in Western Kenya over the past two decades, as well as adding responsive programming when new community needs come forward.

OUR PARTNERS