About this episode

Kathleen Harrison discusses her journey from medical genetics to founding Project Harambee, a nonprofit transforming lives in Sub-Sahara Africa.

In 2001, Kathleen (Keen) Harrison, PhD, took a leave from her university faculty position in medical genetics to travel with the Semester at Sea program. A visit to Kenya’s first orphanage for HIV-positive children changed the course of her life. She returned home feeling, “I just can’t walk away from this.” She didn’t. In 2005, Keen founded Project Harambee, a volunteer-run nonprofit supporting community-led initiatives across three pillars: health care, economic opportunity, and education. Its programs are both practical and powerful: Plant a Seed–Grow a Doc helps students from high schools in under-resourced communities to attend medical school and return to serve rural communities. Livestock donations—dairy goats, chickens, and pigs—help families reduce hunger and generate income. Women’s cooperatives create crafts sold in the United States, building sustainable livelihoods. Today, Keen remains deeply committed while gradually transitioning leadership to nonprofit partners in Kenya and dedicated U.S. volunteers. Sustained by a wide circle of generosity, Project Harambee continues to grow—transforming lives across communities and generations. "I left a profession in medical…

People in this episode

Hosts: Gail Zelitzky, Catherine Marienau

Guest: Kathleen Harrison

Topics covered

• nonprofit work
• community initiatives
• health care
• education
• economic opportunity
• women empowerment

Keywords

• Project Harambee
• Kathleen Harrison
• nonprofit
• Kenya
• HIV-positive children
• community health
• women's cooperatives
• education
• economic opportunity

Sponsors

AARP Illinois

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Project Harambee

Places: Kenya, Sub-Sahara Africa

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