KUUGAQ

"A Place to Find Water". Our community engagement capability is strengthened with Kuuġaq, our 501(c)(3). Our shared vision is to promote indigenous culture, values, and support community initiatives that increase the physical and mental wellness of indigenous communities.

Current Fundraising Effort

KorO WATER ACCESS PROJECTS

Support sanitation, education, and health in east Africa

Across many rural communities in East Africa, families still live without access to safe sanitation, clean water, or basic hygiene education. These conditions lead to preventable illness and long-term health challenges, especially for children and elders.

Through Kuugaq, we’re working on the ground to change that. Our efforts focus on sanitation infrastructure, clean water access, and community education, helping villages build safer systems, understand hygiene practices, and create healthier futures from within.

With a donation of $50 or more, you will receive this hat, 100% of proceeds go directly toward funding sanitation projects and education programs in East Africa. That includes materials, local labor, training, and ongoing support for communities taking ownership of their wellness.

Please leave your name and shipping address in the comment section to receive your hat.

This isn’t charity from a distance, it’s partnership, dignity, and long-term impact. Your support helps turn awareness into action. Thank you for standing with us.

Kuugaq Team

Alaska projects

Group of six people posing in a truck with stacks of cans.

  • Food sustainability concert and fundraiser featuring Blackwater Railroad.

A man drinking from a can at the finish line of the 129th Boston Marathon, with a crowd of spectators and other runners around him, and a large banner overhead that reads '129th Boston Marathon'.

  • Sponsoring statewide athletes of all ages, sport and skill level.

A large group of children and adults gathered outdoors on a wooden basketball court, posing for a photo in front of a chain-link fence and a basketball hoop, with cloudy skies overhead.

  • Raised awareness and funds for Mat-Su youth food insecurity program, Kids Kupboard.

Group of women hockey players in white jerseys posing together on ice rink.

  • Kuuk was proud to sponsor this year’s women’s hockey tournament, an event that brings together players of all ages to celebrate the sport they love. The tournament supports an organization dedicated to creating opportunities for women to skate, compete, and build community in a positive, empowering environment. By investing in events like this, we help ensure that women have a place to play, grow, and thrive, on and off the ice.

Crushed cans of water made of aluminum, labeled with text that includes hazard warnings and brand information.

  • Providing funding and assistance developing youth led community-wide recycling program in conjunction with Huna Totem Corporation.

A person in a wheelchair being pushed by another person during an hockey game on ice, with other players in the background.

  • Rockin’ Hockey is an opportunity for students in the district with special needs to play adaptive hockey. Special needs students are paired with high school hockey players from across the four local high schools, and together they have the chance to play a sport they all love.

People gathered outdoors, some preparing food on grills, others sorting supplies or working with plants, in a grassy area with industrial buildings and power lines in the background.

  • Developed food security in Lime Village and Stebbins, Alaska with RurAL CAP.

Group of people standing in front of two old wooden houses during a service event, with signs and banners.

  • Supporting Kiks.ádi Clan to rebuild the Point House featuring Portugal The Man.

Stack of Kuuk cans on a pallet in a snowy outdoor setting at night.

  • Partnering in the construction of a community outdoor basketball court with Teck Alaska.

Youth hockey game with players in blue and white jerseys facing off on the ice, with a referee overseeing the faceoff and spectators in the stands.

  • Donated canned water to village when infrastructure froze. Shipping provided by Northern Air Cargo.

Pallet of cans stacked under the rear of a plane, with a snow-covered ground outside.

  • When the community of Wales faced inadequate access to safe drinking water, Kuuk responded by delivering emergency water shipments to support families in need. Together with our partner, Ryan Air we ensured the community had reliable, clean water during a challenging time and stand alongside those who protect and care for Alaska’s people.

An array of traditional footwear and attire, a can with artistic black and white design, in an indoor setting.

  • Being part of Quyana at AFN is a privilege, standing alongside those who carry our traditional dances and songs forward. We’re grateful to provide water in support of the lifeways that connect us across generations.

Adult and children planting trees outdoors in a cleared area with trees and grass in the background.

  • Increasing community gardening production and village documentary with RurAL CAP.

Africa projects

Colorful African fabric animals, including giraffes and elephants, arranged on a table.

  • Funding skills training and childcare services for single mothers at women's rehabilitation center.

Children walking on a dirt path alongside a brick wall and green trees.

  • Providing mentorship and funding for locals to start new businesses.

A construction site with a large drilling truck and a worker near it on dirt ground with trees and blue sky in the background.

  • Providing resources including day-to-day expenses for orphans in East Africa.

Two women working in a small sewing workshop with colorful fabric pieces hanging on the wall and sewing machines on the tables.

  • Operations Developing a hub for volunteer housing to assist in well drilling operations.

Group of children and women gathered indoors, some sitting and others standing, around a woman sewing or working with cloth.

  • Raising funds for Ugandan primary school pupils.

Two men planting and nurturing young pine trees in a garden during daylight, with one wearing a green shirt referencing World Mental Health Day and the other wearing a gray shirt, surrounded by soil.

  • Creating sustainable tree farms providing job security.

Completed Fundriasers

Dialysis machines for northern uganda

Goal reached, thank you!

  • What began as an urgent need for dialysis care has become a lifesaving resource for communities in northern Uganda. Kuugaq launched the effort after learning that extremely limited dialysis capacity was placing tremendous strain on patients and healthcare providers throughout the region.

    With the support of generous donors and partners, the effort raised $40,000, providing the resources needed to purchase two dialysis machines and support their implementation. The machines are now installed and in regular use, significantly expanding access to critical kidney treatment. Quyana to everyone who helped make this possible!

    Today, the machines can treat two patients at a time and typically serve two to three patients each day. Approximately 70 to 80 different patients have received treatment, many suffering from acute kidney injury. The program also supports approximately 10 chronic dialysis patients, each requiring two to three treatment sessions per week.

    The machines are now in use six days a week, demonstrating both the significant need for dialysis care in the region and the immediate impact this investment has made for patients and healthcare providers.

    This effort is a powerful example of Kuugaq’s mission in action. What started as a call for help is now providing ongoing treatment, strengthening local healthcare capacity and giving patients in northern Uganda greater access to essential medical care.