CrKIJIJI (kee-JEE-jee): Swahili for Village

Hi! I’m Kimberly Rashad, the founder and steward of KIJIJI: a village-inspired gathering ecosystem for people of all ages to come together, learn, celebrate, and support each other. If you’d like a quick look at KIJIJI’s mission, offerings and goals Click Here

Mission Kijiji exists to restore collective care as a pillar of wellbeing intergenerationally.
We design rooted experiences to:
- Rebuild community as a practice of health and resilience
- Expand learning beyond formal education into creativity, culture, and self-knowledge
- Dismantle harmful cultural norms and reimagine liberatory ways of being
- Make connection, belonging, and joy accessible across generations

Vision To live in a world where community care, interdependence, and cultural wisdom are the foundation of everyday life. A world where belonging is accessible, education is expansive, and joy is a shared resource.

KIJIJI exists to create intergenerational spaces and programming that foster connection, creativity and support. Growing up as a Black girl in North Minneapolis, I had a creative mind but lacked the mentorship and guidance to nurture it. I also lacked a strong community of support there were few intergenerational spaces where I could truly belong, learn, and be nurtured. As I moved into adulthood, I expected to find that sense of community, but it remained out of reach. My 20s were consumed by work and networking, yet I struggled to find environments where I could form meaningful, lasting connections.

This absence of community became even more evident when I faced a major health challenge that left me relearning how to walk. Without a strong support system, navigating recovery was isolating and difficult. Later, when I became a mother and lost my father all in a span of months, the lack of an intergenerational network became even clearer—not just for me, but for my child, who no longer had elders to learn from and look up to.

These experiences reinforced a truth that too many people face: our communities are missing sustainable, intergenerational spaces where people of all ages can thrive together socially, educationally and economically. With a background in design, teaching and my intuition guiding me, I saw an opportunity to create a solution. KIJIJI.

With your support, I’m raising funds to bring a full year of KIJIJI events to life.

The meals, the music, the intergenerational learning, and the labor it takes plan and execute it all with quality and care.

Kijiji is designed to rebuild the village. It creates spaces and programs where youth, adults, and elders connect, learn, and support one another. By funding Kijiji, you’re investing in a model that promotes individual growth, supports youth development and alternate forms of education, encourages fresh visioning for our communities and reconnects elders to embodying vital roles within their communities.

KIJIJI may be new, but I hold over a decade of experience as a creative director, designer, marketing professional and community builder. I'm using all i've learned over the past decade to bring KIJIJI to life.

KIJIJI's goals for 2026

Host 2 meaningful intergenerational experiences that remind people that if they show up, they belong and will leave inspired.
Lead Rooted to Bloom, a coaching container within our Greenhouse for burnt out creatives, caregivers and deep thinkers
Coach entrepreneurs and organizations on aligning their vision with language, structure and design through our Ecosystem. And build the Ecosystem into a Regenerative Economics database and resource for people who want to align their purchase power.

Through KIJIJI, We're not just hosting events. we're tending to a sustainable and regenerative practice of caring for people, thoughtful distribution of money, cultivating our minds, bodies, souls and honoring the earth.

What we need

I’m raising $12k to fund KIJIJI in 2026:

March and/or October — Rooted Conversation (15-30 people)
June — Summer Solstice Celebration (50 people)
December – February KIJIJI Hibernates & Prepares for next year

How the funds will be used:

Venue rentals & insurance ($1.5k)
Event supplies & art materials ($1k)
Promotion & outreach ($1k)
Shared meals, snacks, and drinks ($2.5k)
Local facilitators, elders, and artists ($2k)
Part-time staff & planning support all year ($1k)
Modest coordination and planning stipend (for me) ($2k)
KIJIJI Merch ($1k)

Perks for your generosity

(the more you give, the more you receive!)

$25 — Social media & newsletter shoutout
$50 — Limited edition KIJIJI sticker + thank you card
$100 — Thank you card, sticker pack and 1 piece of free merch (coming fall 2025!)
$250 — Your name on our Community Anchor Wall displayed at each gathering
$500+ — Free entry to 3 of 6 KIJIJI experiences and everything above!

If we don’t reach the full goal:
Every dollar still goes directly to hosting as many experiences as possible. Your support ensures the village keeps going month by month.

Risks & Challenges

Like any grassroots project, we face:
Limited time and volunteer capacity
Rising costs for space and materials
The need to reach and engage more community members

I’ve spent years working in community building and creative leadership. I know how to stretch a budget and adapt with heart and resourcefulness.

Your support helps me stay focused on what matters: gathering people and weaving the village, no matter what.

Other Ways You Can Help

Attend the events!
In person: we are currently located in Minnesota, but we plan to travel when we find aligned collaborators in other locations.

Virtually: Check out the website click here

Hire us. Bring KIJIJI’s Vision Studio into your school, organization, or community space for custom creative strategy or learning experiences. Email us at heykrashad@gmail.com

Offer your skills. We welcome collaborators with experience in fundraising, event planning, wellness, intergenerational care, or anything else rooted and real. Are you an aligned collaborator? Email us at heykrashad@gmail.com

Join our email circle. Stay updated on offerings, reflections, and opportunities to get involved. Coming Soon, subscribe to our substack in the mean time.

If you're interested in giving monthly on a smaller scale, consider subscribing to the KIJIJI Substack for just $5 a month

If you're interested in giving to our other programs (Rooted to Bloom or Rooted Visions Studio), Email us at heykrashad@gmail.com

Follow our social media platforms

Instagram: @kijiji.experiences
Founders Substack https://kimberlyrashad.substack.com/
Share this campaign link with friends and family
Post it on your social media and follow KIJIJI on IG
Talk about KIJIJI and invite your neighbor

Use the Givebutter share tools and spread the word — every bit of energy brings us closer to a thriving year of connection and joy.

Thank you, and Let's rebuild the village
together.

A Year of Kijiji Gatherings

Help fund the meals, the space, and the care it takes to bring people together