Skip to main content
Watch video (01:56)

Athari Group

Overview

Athari Group is a social impact fund in the form of an accelerator for idea-stage nonprofits.  Athari Group is co-founded by one of Kyndryl's own, Jeff Fonda. Athari Group cohorts receive world-class mentorship and networking opportunities with nonprofit founders, a curriculum of workshops on topics such as root cause analysis, board development, and advanced fundraising, and an opportunity to gain seed funding. The accelerator is free to its participants.

Read more

Athari Group graduates

Kyndryl continues its commitment to positive transformational impact by supporting Athari Group accelerator graduates and their commitment to elevate nonprofit leaders addressing their community’s most challenging needs. In 2022 we supported 11 founders and are sharing the stories of three. 

Kuol Arou Kuol

Kuol Arou Kuol is the founder of SPEAK and ARTE, from South Sudan. Kuol is intimately aware of conflict impacts as both a former child soldier and currently living in a Ugandan refugee settlement. The ongoing conflict in South Sudan has forced ethnic tribes with historic animosities to live together in Ugandan refugee settlements. This has led to burnings of homes and killings. 

 

SPEAK brought different tribes together to talk. It was the first time many had spoken to each other, leading to a decrease in violence. Drawing on SPEAK’s success, Kuol founded ARTE. Over the next six months 30 refugees will coordinate the sharing of fishing and farming equipment to increase economic opportunity and decrease historical tensions.

Aisha Abdullahi Bubah

Aisha Abdullahi Bubah is the founder of Idimma Health Initiative in Nigeria. In 2009 Aisha lost multiple family members to a Boko Haram insurgency. She’s now a trained psychologist with experience in rehab centers and internally displaced persons camps but there are only an estimated 250 psychiatrists in Nigeria, serving over 200 million people.

  

In 2021, Idimma created the first mental health helpline in Nigeria. This helpline was successfully piloted in the capital, Abuja, reaching over 7,000 persons with 24/7 toll-free counseling and suicide prevention support. With radios having 83% penetration in Nigeria, Idimma is creating a radio drama to ensure more citizens know about this support.

Ntende Beka Isabirye

Ntende Beka Isabirye is the founder of ICT4Education in Uganda. Forget computers or smartphones, 90% of rural schools in Uganda don’t have electricity. In 2022, ICT4Education was founded to address this by providing basic computer skills to students, supporting 380 students at four schools.

  

Students go through four sessions: computer hardware and software, Microsoft word, Microsoft excel and internet surfing/browsing. ICT4Education has now been able to double its laptop inventory, procure a generator and pay for additional volunteer travel. They will be able to provide this support to 700 students in the next six months.