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Creating change on a scale needed to break the cycle of poverty necessitates improvements at all levels of the ecosystem—from the immediate environment where an individual lives with ‘ohana, to the larger context of school, church, and community, and the still larger arena that encompasses the state, the nation, and the world.

It is only by understanding complex, dynamic social issues across all of these dimensions that we can identify and act on opportunities that offer the greatest impact. It is only by working closely with others across the system that we can create change that is sustainable.

Native Hawaiian children and their ‘ohana are overrepresented in the justice, child welfare, special education, and healthcare systems. Their needs are simply not being served. We believe that by directing our resources to individuals who are the most vulnerable—those who are chronically placed at-risk by their bleak circumstances—we're enabling them to create better lives and consider bigger dreams. By uplifting the most disadvantaged among us, the welfare of our whole community will improve.