For too long, development and social enterprise solutions have followed two divergent paths: top-down aid-driven approaches that oversimplify complex challenges and reinforce dependency, and market-driven models that, without a foundation of justice, risk exacerbating inequities rather than dismantling them.

Lasting change requires a shift—one that moves beyond traditional and shrinking aid-driven models, recognizing the power of both social impact and market-driven approaches to tackling environmental, social, and infrastructure justice. 

Building an Alternative
KUNGU LABS was founded in 2018 on the belief that those who experience it know best how to fix it. We champion an Ethnodesign Model that centers the voices of those most affected—engaging them through deep listening, collaborative learning, and co-creating solutions that reflect their cultures, practices, and lived experiences.

We use research, human-centered design, and strategy to support social impact projects, programs, and organizations in building lasting change, whether through nonprofit initiatives or market-driven models.

What

We Do