Koyamada International Foundation

Koyamada International Foundation

Abbreviation	KIF
Formation	10 March 2008 (2008-03-10)
Founder	Shin Koyamada Nia Lyte
Type	International NGO
Headquarters	Los Angeles, United States
Area served	Global
Services	Youth leadership Gender Equality Disaster relief Citizen exchanges Habitat Space
Methods	Community service
Membership	Member Organizations in the following countries: United States Japan Colombia Brazil Kenya Tanzania Ghana Togo Democratic Republic of the Congo
Official language	All languages adopted by individual National Chapter Organizations as their official languages are the official languages of KIF
Board Chairman	Shin Koyamada
President	Nia Lyte
Affiliations	Guardian Girls International
Website	kifglobal.org
Formerly called	Shin Koyamada Foundation

Koyamada International Foundation, commonly referred to as KIF or KIF Global, is an international non-governmental organization, with its mission to improve quality of people's life by empowering global youth and women to reach their full potential and by providing humanitarian aid to promote global peace and sustainable development. It has affiliated national chapter members in nine countries.

It has global partnerships with UN agencies and international organizations such as United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), UNICEF's Education Cannot Wait (ECW), World Karate Federation (WKF), Association of Medical Doctors of Asia (AMDA) and others.

History

The organization took shape through the shared passions of Shin Koyamada and TEDx Talk Speaker Nia Lyte, driven by their dedication to supporting youth, humanitarian aid, and cross-cultural engagement in the United States. Initially, their efforts began with distributing relief provisions to underprivileged families in Downtown Los Angeles. Alongside a group of friends, they also championed cultural exchange activities spanning across the nation.

KIF has established first National Chapter in Japan in 2011 in response to the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami and expanded its operations and programs internationally in South America, Africa, North America and Europe.

Programs

Guardian Girls

Guardian Girls logo

The Guardian Girls stands as a global program aimed at preventing and responding to gender-based violence, empowering adolescent girls and women to confront and combat all manifestations of violence through the platform of sports and martial arts.

The Guardian Girls program operates on a global scale under the administration of Guardian Girls International (GGI), an international nonprofit organization affiliated with the Koyamada International Foundation. Collaborating with governments, international sports federations, non-governmental organizations, United Nations agencies, and corporations, GGI spearheads specialized projects tailored to specific targets and issues, amplifying its impact and reach.

Its inception traces back to Shin Koyamada, who conceptualized the program during his participation in the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD). This significant event, hosted by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in collaboration with the governments of Kenya and Denmark in Nairobi, Kenya, marked the genesis of this transformative program.

In December 2019, KIF solidified its commitment by signing a Memorandum of Understanding with the UNFPA, followed by a collaboration with the World Karate Federation (WKF) in May 2022. Together, under the expansive Guardian Girls program, they inaugurated the global specialized "Guardian Girls Karate" project in October 2022. This pioneering project expanded its reach to countries including Egypt, Morocco, Spain, Japan, United States, Ireland and Hungary throughout 2023.

StarAngel

The StarAngel program stands as an educational lifeline, specifically designed to offer quality learning resources for children and youth grappling with the aftermath of conflicts, natural disasters, and displacement in emergency and conflict zones. The program is administered by the StarAngel International on a global level.

In May 2020, KIF fortified its global dedication by joining hands with the Education Cannot Wait (ECW), administered by UNICEF. This pivotal partnership was marked by the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding, aimed at bolstering ECW's extensive education programs. These programs cater to children and youth enduring the aftermath of conflicts, natural disasters, famine, displacement, and crises like the COVID-19 pandemic. Operating from the initial stages of crisis through recovery phases, KIF's national chapters in Latin America and Africa actively support ECW's mission.

Successfully initiated by Koyamada International Foundation Colombia (KIF Colombia) in 2022 and 2023, the program has made significant strides across Colombia, furnishing hundreds of schools with essential educational materials and establishing playgrounds for these resilient children.

1000 Ways To Give

The 1000 Ways To Give program serves as a vital disaster relief program dedicated to extending humanitarian aid and essential relief items to those impacted by natural disasters.

In response to the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, KIF swiftly launched a disaster relief program and established its inaugural national chapter, KIF Japan, headquartered in Tokyo. This chapter was specifically crafted to aid victims affected by the triple disaster. KIF orchestrated relief efforts by initiating fundraisers and coordinating the collection of relief goods and items in Southern California. These efforts culminated in shipping a 20-foot container filled with essential supplies to assist those in need.

Expanding its outreach, in 2019, KIF forged a strategic partnership with the Association of Medical Doctors of Asia (AMDA). This collaboration empowers AMDA to deliver crucial emergency medical aid to individuals affected by both natural calamities and human-induced disasters across Asia and other regions.

Zeal Up

Zeal Up stands as a dynamic youth leadership program designed to inspire the upcoming generations, fostering their ability to instigate meaningful community transformation and assume roles as engaged community leaders and global citizens. To achieve this, the program has forged collaborations with several universities, facilitating a series of speaker programs. These initiatives aim to empower students across various countries, nurturing a global mindset among the youth and encouraging proactive engagement in creating a better world.

KIF signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Junior Chamber International (JCI) as a Global Partner in February 2019.

Subnational X

Subnational X is an international exchange program to foster mutual understanding and respect and strengthen people to people ties by implementing grassroots activities of cross-cultural, economic, sports and educational exchanges globally.

In 2010 and 2011, KIF orchestrated the United States Martial Arts Festival (USMAF), a global event featuring 1,000 participants from 10 countries alongside renowned martial arts grandmasters. The aim was to champion peace through sports and cultivate a sustainable worldwide martial arts community. in 2013 and 2014, Hollywood stars Dylan Sprouse and Cole Sprouse engaged Japanese youth on education during KIF's United States-Japan Discovery Tour, shared widely on social media. KIF partnered with Sister Cities International (SCI) for bilateral summits, including the Japan-Texas Leadership Symposium in March 2019. Hosted by San Antonio and supported by Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, it strengthened U.S.-Japan ties through cultural and economic exchanges.

Amazon Habitat

Amazon Habitat is a habitat program to help protect, preserve and promote tropical rainforests and wildlife in the Amazon Jungle in South America.

Safari Habitat

Safari Habitat is a habitat program to conserve wildlife habitat and preserve and promote cultural heritage of the indigenous peoples in Africa.

Spacestellar

Spacestellar is a space program to attract and engage young people globally to; interact with each other; share and deepen mutual interests, passions and understanding about outer space; cultivate strong team leadership skills; and gain knowledge and experience of space science and technology through space-themed activities.

Structure

KIF Global is an international umbrella organization consisting of its global board of directors, management leaderships, standing committees and its national chapter members.

National chapter members

Each national chapter member is an independent nonprofit organization exclusively licensed to operate in a specific country, governed by its own national boards and officers with national committees, and funded by its supporters and contributors of a designated country. All members of national chapters are local chapter member organizations and individual and corporate members.

KIF National Chapter Members

KIF Chapter	Year:	country:	region:	Website
KIF USA	2013	United States	North America	kifusa.org
KIF Japan	2011	Japan	Asia	kifjapan.org
KIF Colombia	2017	Colombia	South America	kifcolombia.org
KIF Brazil	2019	Brazil	South America	kifbrazil.org
KIF Kenya	2019	Kenya	Africa	kifkenya.org
KIF Tanzania	2021	Tanzania	Africa	kiftanzania.org
KIF Ghana	2020	Ghana	Africa	kifghana.org
KIF Togo	2019	Togo	Africa	kiftogo.org
KIF DR Congo	2020	Democratic Republic of the Congo	Africa	kifdrcongo.org

Partners

• World Karate Federation (WKF) - a partnership on Gender-based violence
• Junior Chamber International (JCI) - a partnership on Youth leadership
• Association of Medical Doctors of Asia (AMDA) - a partnership on Disaster relief

External links

• Official website
• Koyamada International Foundation on Guidestar

• Guardian Girls - Official Website