Executive Summary

Ma Ka Hana Ka ʻIke (MKHKI) means “in doing or working, one learns.” We began as a partnership with Hāna High and Elementary School in 2001, offering supplemental teacher support through building and construction classes and on-the-job training for students struggling with the traditional classroom setting. In subsequent years, we established agricultural, cultural, and culinary programs to meet identified community needs for elderly housing and home improvements, farming and food accessability, fruit, vegetable, and prepared meal distributions, and the restoration of indigenous practices. Our service-based learning approach builds upon a tiered vocational apprenticeship model that prepares Hāna youth for identified and lucrative trade careers in our community. Under the guidance of skilled program leads, paid apprentices facilitate during, after-school, and intercession youth programming across our four highly integrated programs: Building, Mālama Hāloa (cultural), Kahu ʻAi Pono (Hāna School gardens and culinary), and Mahele Farm.

Our organization headquarters are located at Hāna School, which is an educational and social hub for the community. Our building and construction woodshop, cultural pavilion, school gardens, and culinary classroom are all located at the Hāna School campus. We support Hāna School with culinary and woodshop instructors, a cultural activities coordinator, a school garden coordinator, and an ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi (Hawaiian language) coordinator. We also maintain a 10-acre off-campus apprentice-run community farm (Mahele Farm) that hosts 120 volunteers and produces 25,000 pounds of food annually. Our staff, Board of Directors, and program participation rates are reflective of the 76% Native Hawaiian student body.

Organizations may provide budget and employee data based on this proposal or the organization as a whole. For more information on this proposal or organization, please email us.