K.A.A.L.A. Recruitment

Aloha! Kaʻala Farm is currently recruiting students for the Kaʻala Aloha ʻĀina Leadership Academy (K.A.A.L.A.). K.A.A.L.A. is a High school internship program offered to 9th and 10th graders residing in the Waiʻanae Coast. The focus of the internship is to reintroduce the Waiʻanae moku to the youth of Waiʻanae through moʻolelo, and through hands on hana (work) and fun, while …

Making connections to kalo, the ‘aina, and each other

La ‘Ohana (Family Day) is a hands-on experience where families learn about planting, growing, harvesting, preparing, cooking, and eating kalo, all in one morning! Since 2013, families have been gathering at Ka‘ala Farm on a monthly basis to work in the community kalo mala (dry-land taro gardens). The day starts with a brief overview of Ka‘ala Farm and its cultural …

Partners and Alliances

There are many great organizations working with the Wai‘anae Coast community.  One  is Hoa ‘Aina O Makaha.  Hoa ‘Aina start in 1979 on five acres of abandoned land next to Makaha Elementary School. Now a vibrant farm, Hoa ‘Aina serves as an educational resource center that focuses on supporting families, fostering community self-reliance, and peace-making on the Waiʻanae Coast.  It …

April – Continuing Community Connections

The 13th annual Keiki Fest was held on April 13th and Ka‘ala staff participated for the 13th time! How cool is that? The annual Keiki Fest is a Kamehameha Schools (KS) sponsored event that connects Waiʻanae Coast keiki and their parents with educational, developmental, and health service providers in their community drew nearly 1,000 community members, collaborators, and volunteers to …

March started and finished with community gatherings!

Calabash and Cooks On March 10th, Ka‘ala Farm was honored to be a part of Malama Learning Center’s fundraiser Calabash and Cooks! The Ka‘ala crew provided kalo burgers, kalo flatbread, and vegan kalo burgers. Demonstrations of kapa (bark cloth) making was provided by kapa workshop participants. It was a great evening with ono food created by chefs and culinary students …

Aloha to PALS and PLACES

For February’s blog, we at Ka‘ala would like to share our appreciation and aloha to Place-Based After-School Literacy Support (PALS) and Place-Based Learning and Community Engagement in School (PLACES) programs! These two programs are strong supports of learners and community partners on the Wai‘anae Coast! Run out of the University of Hawaii, Manoa’s Office of Student Equity, Excellence & Diversity …

Summer Blog Series

Aloha! It is hard to believe that 2018 is nearly half over! We have been busy at Ka‘ala and would like update everyone on Ka‘ala happenings. We thought a summer blog series would be a good way to share about a Ka‘ala activity or two that happened in each month. In that spirit, welcome to the first blog in our …

Grow the Māla (Garden) Campaign

Aloha Thanks to you over 2,500 ‘ōpio (youth), mākua (adults), kūpuna (elders), and ‘ohana (families) were able to experience connecting with Wai’anae Kai, our poi bowl, the most intact cultural landscape on O’ahu. On behalf of the lāhui, we want to thank you for providing the ability to preserve and share the 97 acres of the cultural learning center at …