Centering The Margins
We work towards eliminating inequality and discrimination for everyone.
KUZA TRUST exist to ignite and sustain these cycles of change by:
- Organizing and Mobilizing Communities
We support community-led structures such as widows’ collectives, youth climate groups, and drug user networks to build solidarity, leadership, and collective agency in driving local and national change.
- Democratizing Legal and Policy Knowledge
Through legal empowerment, civic education, and storytelling, we equip marginalized groups with the tools to understand, assert, and demand their health and human rights.
- Challenging Oppressive Systems
We advocate for the reform of punitive drug laws, discriminatory cultural practices, and unjust governance systems, using litigation, policy engagement, budget advocacy, and public campaigns.
- Reimagining Institutions through People-Centered Alternatives
We co-create and pilot non-coercive, community-led health and justice interventions like decarceration programs and harm reduction treatment models that prove better, rights-based ways are possible.
What We Seek to Achieve
KUZA TRUST envisions a just and equitable society where:
- Public institutions are transparent, accountable, and grounded in the protection of rights;
- Health, social protection, and legal systems respond with care rather than punishment;
- Marginalized communities are not just experts or elites but lead the design and evaluation of policies that affect them;
- New cultural norms affirm bodily autonomy, justice, and community power.
Our teams work in six thematic areas, nationally and internationally.
Advancing women’s and girls’ rights to land, safety, bodily autonomy, and public participation, with a focus on widows, girls affected by poverty, and those navigating harmful traditional practices.
Transforming Punitive Drug Laws Into Rights-Based Frameworks That Prioritize Public Health, Harm Reduction, And Dignity. We Advocate For Decriminalization, Diversion Programs, And Access To Care Not Incarceration.
Promoting Fair And Inclusive Economic Systems For Women, Youth, And Communities Historically Locked Out Of Land, Labor, And Livelihood Opportunities. We Support Legal Empowerment, Women-Led Enterprise, And Social Protection.
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Protecting Communities Affected By Environmental Degradation, Land Grabs, And Climate Collapse. We Champion Youth-Led Climate Action, Sustainable Land Use, And Just Transitions That Restore Ecosystems, Advocacy For Alternative Economic Models Including Legal Cannabis Regulation As Pathways To Resilience And Justice.
Building Inclusive, Accountable Legal Systems That Work For The People. We Train Paralegals, Operate Grassroots Legal Aid Centers, And Engage Courts, Police, And Prosecutors To Protect The Rights Of The Most Excluded.
Defending The Right To Life And Freedom For East Africans Vulnerable To Cross-Border Drug Trafficking, Wrongful Prosecution, And Death-Row Sentencing. We Provide Legal Aid, Advocate For Clemency And Repatriation, And Push For Systemic Reforms That Treat Survivors With Dignity And Justice.
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We are structured to maximize grassroots impact, policy influence, and institutional transformation through integrated and collaborative workstreams.
We operate through six core thematic programs and four cross-cutting functions, all of which are deeply interconnected and grounded in community organizing, legal empowerment, and evidence-based advocacy.
Legal Empowerment & Strategic Litigation
We deploy the law as a lever for justice providing grassroots legal education, advancing public-interest cases, and promoting alternative dispute resolution. These efforts turn community demands into enforceable rights and systemic reform.
Communications & Narrative Change
Through street theatre, community radio, social media, and storytelling, we drive powerful narratives that humanize those most affected, challenge stigma, expose injustice
Civic Education & Movement Building
We equip communities with civic knowledge and advocacy skills to reshape public systems. From training grassroots leaders to convening budget-accountability forums, we build issue-based coalitions that drive county-level change.