The Samburu Project was founded in the fall of 2005 by Kristen Kosinski, a former television executive at Paramount Pictures. The organization was established following a visit to Kenya, during which Kosinski, together with Samburu elder Mama Musa, identified a need for initiatives focused on women’s empowerment in Samburu County. Kosinski served as executive director for ten years before stepping down in 2015. In February 2016, former board chair Linda Hooper became executive director, and the organization relocated its U.S. office to the Helms Bakery Complex in Culver City, California.
As of 2020, the organization has a staff of three in Los Angeles, and a staff of five at their Wamba office in Samburu county, Kenya. A diverse Board of Directors is composed of 11 individuals in the US. The organization also has an active internship program open to high school and college students.
Currently with 170 wells providing clean water, The Samburu Project has expanded its program to support women with empowerment workshops, teenage girls with menstrual hygiene products and reproductive health information, and gardening workshops as a way to expand food security, food diversity, and income generation.
The Samburu Project is supported by foundation grants, personal donations, events, peer-to-peer fundraising events, and corporate partnerships.
