Overview

Since the Harambee Summer Festival’s beginning in 1996 with just two families, the group has strived to place the education and happiness of its children squarely at the centre of its efforts. The purpose of the group is to mitigate the disadvantages faced by trans-racial adoption by creating a welcoming environment where the children and families can be a part of the majority community that looks and behaves in similar ways that their family behaves.

"Without a doubt, Harambee has been the single most important contributor to our family. It is priceless and we are stronger, better because of it."
- Jen N.

The Harambee Society has been formed to address several challenges for parents of transracially adopted children so that the parents may engage in the recommendations published by the US Dept. of Health and Human Services. These recommendations serve as the guiding principles for our organization:

• Become intensely invested in parenting
• Tolerate no racially or ethnically biased remarks
• Surround yourselves with supportive family and friends
• Celebrate all cultures
• Talk about race and culture
• Expose your child to a variety of experiences so that he or she develops physical and intellectual skills that build self-esteem
• Take your child to places where most of the people present are from his or her race or ethnic group