Important Announcement - Help Secure Harambee's Home

Dear Friends of Harambee,

You may have heard news about Harambee's building, and we want you to hear directly from us because we need your help. Harambee is in its 29th year of serving students and families from Linden and nearby communities. For our first 26 years, the school operated within Dwell Community Church (formerly Xenos) and its nonprofit, Urban Concern. We are deeply grateful for the role Xenos and Dwell have played in Harambee’s success, through both financial support and the hundreds of members who have given their time to our students. God used the church to launch the school and sustain its work for more than two decades.

In 2023, Harambee’s leadership approached Dwell’s elders about an apparent difference in vision. Harambee has always existed to educate and nurture young people from under-resourced communities, helping break the cycle of poverty and providing an academic and spiritual foundation. As a church, Dwell earnestly hoped more Harambee students would join its student ministries and saw that as central to the school’s purpose. In late 2023, both groups agreed that independent governance was best for both ministries.

Historically, Urban Concern and Harambee Christian School were the same entity. When the ministries separated, Dwell kept governance of Urban Concern and, with it, title to our building at 1000 Bonham Avenue. Donors inside and outside the church funded the building 20 years ago for a Christian school serving this community.

Since 2024, Harambee has leased the building for $1 per year and paid all facility costs, with the goal of eventually buying it. In 2025, we launched a capital campaign with a professional consultant. Although many of our donors have long been Dwell members, Dwell asked us to limit our solicitation of its members and did not encourage them to give, so we have been building a new donor base largely from the ground up. Fundraising experts also warned that raising money to buy a building paid for 20 years ago would be uniquely challenging, which is why this moment calls for friends who believe in Harambee’s future.

Dwell has offered to sell us the building for $1.1 million by June 2027, when our lease ends. This is a significant reduction from the earlier price and well under the appraised value. If Harambee cannot complete the purchase, Dwell has said it will not renew our lease. We have explored other locations, and none is currently workable for our school. Without this building, Harambee may be forced to close.

Here is where we stand. Securing the building with a working HVAC system will cost about $1.6 million total: $1.1 million for the purchase and about $500,000 to replace the building's HVAC system, which is past its life expectancy and beginning to fail. We have raised $565,000. After campaign and capital costs, the remaining $488,000 is needed for the HVAC replacement, leaving nothing toward the purchase. We still need to raise $1.1 million.

Time is short. We must know by January whether we can secure the building, so that our families and staff can plan for the 2027–2028 school year. We have grant requests under consideration, and we are pursuing every path, including major donors and partners. Gifts and pledges made before the end of this year will make a decisive difference.

Thanks to your support, Harambee's mission is proven in the lives of our alumni. Children who once faced great hardship have grown into educators, youth pastors, doctors, and leaders of global nonprofits. They've earned full-ride scholarships to HBCUs and entered trade programs, and one of our alumni was recently accepted to Harvard Law School. Today they worship and serve in churches across Columbus, the country, and the world. Some are now second-generation Harambee parents, enrolling their own children at the school that changed their lives.

In this new season, we're praying to partner with the wider body of Christ in Columbus to open more pathways to spiritual renewal and whole-life flourishing for students in Linden and neighborhoods like it. Securing our building is the foundation for that future. Your gift today will help keep Harambee's doors open for the next generation of students and families.

How you can help:

• Make a donation. Give here toward securing and sustaining Harambee's building.

• Make a pledge. Multi-year pledges are welcome. Pledge here.

• Make a connection. Introduce me to anyone who might make a significant gift or partner with us. My email address is steinmanal@harambeechristian.org.

• Make a commitment to pray. Pray for God's provision and for a resolution that honors both ministries. Sign up here to receive regular updates through the Harambee Prayer Circle.
  

For 29 years, God has used Harambee to change the lives of children and families in Linden. With your help, we look forward to celebrating our 30th year in our home on Bonham Avenue.

For His glory,

Alex Steinman
 Executive Director, on behalf of the Harambee Board of Directors