Residents were held captive in their own homes and there was little hope for change. Harambee works with young people and their parents over a multi-year period, with the goal of seeing them through college graduation and helping them return to the community as leaders committed to repeating the cycle of indigenous leadership development. During the school year the Afterschool Tutoring program serves 70 neighborhood children. Every day, young people do their homework, receive moral and spiritual training, and play in a safe environment. The program also includes overnight sleep-overs, camping and fishing trips, internet and computer design tutoring, and visits to arts and cultural sites.
Parents volunteer two hours a month and bring snacks on a regular basis.
Harambee's Junior Staff program has put teens to work and taught them valuable employment and life skills. All teens at Harambee participate in Junior Staff education times, including college preparation, health education, computer instruction, SAT prep, and visits to universities. A single house on a single street and a single homeowner can be the difference that saves an entire neighborhood from economic depression and blight. The organization is volunteer-based and engages in grassroots organizing to improve conditions in the community. Recently, the association has become more proactive and has organized youth-centered activities focusing on solutions to social, economic, neighborhood safety, and neighborhood improvement projects.