Crossing the Raging River

In this episode, Richard sits down in Kenya with Rev. David Ewagata, a leader with over 30 years of experience working with youth, to talk about East Africa's next generation. The region has one of the youngest populations in the world and enormous potential, but young people face broken families, disillusionment with leadership, and a lack of gospel transformation. They close with four piece...

In this episode, Richard sits down with Everlyne, a field partner with Hungry for Life International and an Abundant Leadership Institute alumna, to talk about empowering marginalized women and families in Western Kenya. Everlyne shares how Kurumbuka’s asset-based approach, one that looks first at what communities already bring, has helped women move from dependence to running their own businesses...

In this episode, Sam sits down with Maureen Chege, a Kenyan leader and Abundant Leadership Institute alumna who spent nearly 20 years in Burundi, to talk about leading across cultures. Maureen shares how a casual visit became a calling, the challenges of language, culture, and being seen as an outsider, and the principles that helped her thrive: knowing your purpose and building authentic relation...

In this episode, Sam sits down with Najele Otieno, a Kenyan leader and ALI alumnus, to talk about servant leadership and the role of young people in shaping Kenya’s future. Najele shares how his suffering from a life-changing injury gave him a heart of compassion, and how the 2024 Gen Z protests led him to start training young leaders. He’s passionate about transformational servant leadership and...

In this Season 2 finale, Erica opens up about her journey into asset-based community development and shares what she got wrong before she got it right. She and Sam explore why ABCD is the deepest form of localization - placing leadership not just with African-led organizations, but with communities themselves. Have feedback? Send us your thoughts! Visit www.kurumbuka.org/podcast for more resources...

Most people enter development work because they want to help, but what if good intentions aren’t enough? In this episode, Erica and Sam examine the shift from fixer to facilitator, unpacking why taking over development, even with the best motives, communicates that communities can't lead themselves. From the trap of paternalism to the three phases of ABCD support, they walk through what it ac...

What actually makes communities grow? Not outside resources, not expert interventions, but the assets, relationships, and leadership already inside a community.  In this episode, Erica and Sam walk us through the 5 Principles of Asset-Based Community Development, showing what each one looks like in practice and revealing why lasting change happens when communities are seen as capable and trusted t...

In this episode, Erica and Sam ask: What if using the wrong development model is doing more harm than good? Drawing on real experiences in Africa, they break down three approaches - relief, rehabilitation, and development - and explore how treating every situation like a crisis unintentionally creates dependency rather than lasting change. They then introduce the mindset shift at the heart of ABCD...

In this episode, Erica and Sam talk about some of the red flags and green flags of development. Tune in to learn about development models that can unintentionally cause harm and explore how you can become a more sustainable and community-oriented leader (the green flag we're all striving towards).  We'd love for you to subscribe for monthly episodes that can help you on your leadership j...

In our first episode of Season 2, Erica and Sam ask: what if some of our well-intentioned efforts to help people are making things worse? Drawing on real experiences in Africa, they explore how traditional approaches to addressing poverty often overlook the strengths already present in communities, unintentionally creating dependency rather than lasting change. Your hosts: Sam Birondwa - Africa Di...

In this Season 1 finale, Erica and Richard revisit the shift from scarcity to abundance through the Feeding of the Five Thousand, trace Erica’s personal journey into Asset-Based Community Development, and share powerful stories of how ABCD is transforming communities across Africa.  Join us for Season 2 as we go deeper into ABCD and how it can reshape your leadership, your organization, and your c...

In this episode, Erica and Richard unpack the roots of Abundant Leadership, share stories from Rwanda’s rebuilding, and explore the principles of an abundant mentality. Have feedback? Send us your thoughts! Visit www.kurumbuka.org/podcast for more resources or follow us on LinkedIn , Instagram , and Facebook . Take the next step in your leadership journey by attending one of our programs: www.kuru...

This episode is taken from the 2025 Abundant Leadership Summit in Kigali, Rwanda, foucsed on Leading Abundantly through Global Uncertainty .  In this session, hear from Dale Lutz, former Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Safe Software, as he speaks on Leading with Principle in the Age of Artificial Intelligence .  For the full Summit recordings, visit kurumbuka.org/summit. Have feedback? Send us your thoug...

This episode is taken from the 2025 Abundant Leadership Summit in Kigali, Rwanda, foucsed on Leading Abundantly through Global Uncertainty .  In this session, hear from Michael Messenger, International Lawyer and former CEO of World Vision Canada, as he speaks on Leading with Purpose through Global Disruption. For the full Summit recordings, visit kurumbuka.org/summit. Have feedback? Send us your...

In this episode, Erica and Richard discuss the indignity of dependency, identifying the characteristics of scarcity leadership and why many leadership models have fueled dependency in Africa. Have feedback? Send us your thoughts! Visit www.kurumbuka.org/podcast for more resources or follow us on LinkedIn , Instagram , and Facebook . Take the next step in your leadership journey by attending one of...

In this episode, Erica and Richard discuss the six pitfalls outlined in the raging river narrative, pulling from their personal experience as leaders.  Have feedback? Send us your thoughts! Visit www.kurumbuka.org/podcast for more resources or follow us on LinkedIn , Instagram , and Facebook . Take the next step in your leadership journey by attending one of our programs: www.kurumbuka.org/program...

In this episode we explore how mindset determines whether a leader stays stuck in scarcity or moves toward abundance.  Have feedback? Send us your thoughts! Visit www.kurumbuka.org/podcast for more resources or follow us on LinkedIn , Instagram , and Facebook . Take the next step in your leadership journey by attending one of our programs: www.kurumbuka.org/programs . 

Welcome to Crossing the Raging River!  In our first episode, we introduce what it means to cross the raging river of leadership, that leadership is a journey filled with obstacles, and how leaders move from scarcity to abundance.  Have feedback? Send us your thoughts! Visit www.kurumbuka.org/podcast for more resources or follow us on LinkedIn , Instagram , and Facebook . Take the next step in your...