Harambee brings community together to celebrate SeaVuria’s work in Kenya

Published 12:30 pm Tuesday, June 16, 2026

By Soyun Chow

Special to the Reporter

Harambee means “all pulling together” in Swahili and 175 community members did just that on May 29 when they gathered at the Funny Farm on Mercer Island for nonprofit SeaVuria’s second annual Harambee.

It was an evening filled with moving stories and celebration in support of SeaVuria’s work in Taita-Taveta, Kenya. Music was provided by Mercer Island High School’s (MIHS) KMIH 88.9 The Bridge and Kenyan cuisine catered by Wangari Kariuki with Tamu Catering. Attendees watched videos from Kenyan students, teachers and schools impacted by SeaVuria’s scholarships, mentorship, teacher professional learning and technology support. They also heard from SeaVuria board members and student clubs sponsored by SeaVuria: MIHS’s PETRI (Philanthropy, Education, Teaching, Research, Involvement), Vashon Island High School’s G2G (Girls 2 Girls) Club, and WEE (Women’s Empowerment Through Education). These clubs seek to empower young women in Kenya and the U.S. through education, scholarships and friendships.

At each table, there was a member of PETRI, G2G or WEE. Members co-hosted the event and spoke to attendees about the importance of their work and relationships they built with students in Kenya.

MaryMargaret Welch, adviser to PETRI, G2G, WEE and co-founder and executive director of SeaVuria, said the Zoom calls that students have with their Kenyan pen pals “is the most heartwarming, amazing thing.”

Welch added, “What stayed with me most was watching the girls from the scholarship clubs engage so naturally and confidently with guests. There was such a clear sense of pride – not only in sharing their stories, but in the relationships they’ve built and in their understanding that opportunity comes with a responsibility to make a difference.”

One accomplishment celebrated during the event was PETRI and G2G raising enough scholarship funds this year for 156 students to attend school in Taita-Taveta, Kenya. It costs approximately $300 a year for a day scholar and $600 for a boarding school scholar to attend high school and this education is not possible for many students, especially girls, because families cannot afford it.

Kim Kamolz attended the event and her daughters, MIHS students and PETRI members Sarah and Megan. All three traveled to Kenya last February as part of the delegation of 16 students and five chaperones that visited schools and students supported by SeaVuria’s scholarships and programs.

“The Harambee brings people together, and I enjoy seeing neighbors, friends and supporters sponsor scholars in Kenya,” Kamolz said. “The leadership and personal growth opportunities that SeaVuria’s clubs, Girls 2 Girls and PETRI, offer to our local students are also important as they help our future leaders develop broader, more globally oriented perspectives.”

Another part of the event was fundraising facilitated by Kimberly Miyazawa Frank, a member of SeaVuria’s Board of Directors. Frank also traveled to Kenya as part of the delegation and was moved by the overwhelming gratitude and graciousness from the families they support. Parents traveled many miles on foot to meet them and came bearing gifts, including a live hen, which is significant because a hen is a way for them to make money by selling eggs.

Frank’s daughters, who are PETRI and WEE members, added: “The impact that SeaVuria has had on my two daughters and is making on our Island community is significant. This year, our second daughter Marin was part of the delegation and early in the trip she had a profound realization that Kenyan scholars have so many reasons not to go to school. They must wake up super early, get water for their families, do chores before they leave for school, walk really far both ways on hilly, unpaved roads, often in the dark. They should be home helping with farming or other ways their family earns money. And the girls don’t have personal supplies for their period because of stigmas associated with it. And yet, with all of that, they go to school. They don’t take it for granted and they know what a privilege education is.”

Frank’s daughter Griffin is currently a member of WEE and was part of the 2024 Kenyan delegation as a PETRI member. Frank said that after her trip, her daughter said that “despite the Kenyan scholars’ lives being so different from ours, deep down their parents want the same things for them as you and dad want for us.”

Frank asked attendees to join SeaVuria in supporting their global mission for young women in Taita-Taveta to graduate from high school and continue onto college; equipping teachers with more effective student-centered curriculum; and providing students and teachers with reliable access to technology.

“Through our work, our aim is to continue improving the life trajectory of our Kenyan scholars,” Frank said. “Giving them a chance at careers that lead to economic self-sufficiency – disrupting their family cycle of poverty and truly uplifting whole communities in Kenya.”

How to Join and Support:

• SeaVuria and PETRI’s STEM Summer Camp for elementary students is a Robotics Week from June 22-26 at West Mercer Elementary, and parents can enroll their student here: https://tinyurl.com/mrx3u7az or contact SeaVuria@gmail.com.

MIHS PETRI students will work as camp counselors and help deliver lessons on robotics. Proceeds collected at the camp go toward scholarships for students in Kenya.

• MIHS PETRI Club is happy to welcome new members anytime during the school year and MIHS students can contact SeaVuria@gmail.com if they would like to join.

• To learn more about SeaVuria and donate, visit seavuria.org or email seavuria@gmail.com.