Eden Plan Hawaii
Breaking cycles for kids
We are a grassroots 501(c)(3) nonprofit committed to creating safe, supportive, and empowering opportunities for foster youth, former foster youth, and children with IEPs and other learning needs.
Our goal is to help young people build confidence, independence, practical life skills, and a strong sense of belonging. Through housing, hands-on experiences, mentorship, healthy meals, gardening, job-skill development, and access to community resources, we create opportunities for young people to discover their strengths and build a path toward a successful future.
Our 38-acre property provides a place where youth can learn by doing — growing food, caring for the land, developing vocational skills, working alongside positive mentors, and participating in a supportive community. We believe every young person deserves opportunities to contribute, learn, be heard, and develop at their own pace.
We especially focus on developmentally needy foster care-though we do not like to put. alabel of box on our residents. We work ith youth who need additional educational or developmental support, and families who may not have access to the resources they need.
We believe in hand-ups, not handouts — creating meaningful opportunities rather than simply providing temporary assistance. Our approach centers dignity, encouragement, responsibility, and individual strengths.
We started with a private land donation and a dedicated team of high-energy volunteers. Today, we are building a model that can grow and eventually be replicated on additional properties, creating more safe spaces where young people can learn, work, connect, and thrive.
Above all, we prioritize a positive, welcoming culture where every young person knows: you belong here, you have value, and your future matters.
Services
We have comprehensive programming for those we serve.
Housing
We are currently fundraising to build or acquire a six-bedroom home designed to provide a safe, stable, and supportive environment for up to five foster youth.
The home will be more than a place to live—it will be a foundation for stability, connection, education, and personal growth.
Our property also includes tiny homes for volunteers and staff, allowing caring adults and mentors to live on-site and contribute to a positive, consistent community for the youth we serve.
By combining safe housing, supportive relationships, hands-on learning, healthy food, life-skills development, and access to community resources, we are creating an environment where foster youth can feel secure, build confidence, and develop the skills they need to thrive.
Food Security & Health
Food security is about more than having enough to eat. It is about access to healthy, nutritious food and creating positive experiences around food, health, and learning.
We provide year-round meal preparation, along with after-school and summer programming that give children and youth access to healthy meals, hands-on learning, and a supportive community. When possible, food is grown and prepared on-site, giving young people opportunities to learn where their food comes from and develop practical skills along the way.
Our goal is to make healthy food, learning, and community part of everyday life while creating a positive environment where kids can build confidence, learn new skills, and thrive.
job pathways +
Skill development
What is unique about Eden is our “hand up” culture. We believe older foster youth and young adults transitioning into independence need more than a place to live—they need opportunities to discover what they are capable of and build skills that can change the direction of their lives.
Youth have opportunities to learn practical skills in construction, solar, agriculture, culinary arts, property management, and other areas of hands-on work. Through mentorship and real-world experience, they can develop confidence, responsibility, work experience, and skills they can carry into future employment and independent living.
We love seeing young people gain confidence, discover their strengths, and begin to see a future they can build for themselves. Our goal is to create an environment where transitioning youth are supported while also being given meaningful opportunities to contribute, learn, and grow.
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As we expand, we hope to add creative and entrepreneurial spaces where young people can explore art, small business, entrepreneurship, and other pathways to economic independence.
Community partnerships
We are partnered with several organizations across Big Island, including Hope Services, One Ohana, Salvation Army, and Hydroponic Hut. These partnerships ensure our long term viability, offering wrap around services, workshops, and referrals.
After school programs
We uphold State priorities to re-connect people with the care of land (Malama aina). We have bees on site, use and train regenerative agriculture (over mono-cropping), practice organic farming using horse manure compost, and use 100% solar energy. We stack time, layering conservation values with pragmatic skill.
therapeutic frame
Our residents have the opportunity to advance their training during their time here. Residents are matched with a case manager, who provides wrap around support. They have the opportunity to live and work with the animals. Research points to this as a top practice for trauma informed nervous system care.
community organizing co-op
We welcome non profits and family run projects across the area to join our co-op and be part of the effort to drive localized food security. Our co-op focuses on policy efforts and the exchange of ideas related to food security. Long term, we would love to be in a position to give out grants ourselves. We host monthly events, where people volunteer and find community.
Animal well-being
We treasure our 13 horses rescued in the 2018 Lava Flow. Next to them, we have a flock of chickens, 2 goats, 2 ducks, and wild pigs. We uphold a sanctuary space for them that offers therapeutic support for residents + training grounds for our residents and staff. We give our animals optimal quality of life with acreage for free roaming. They help manage our land and orchards adjacent volunteers. Aligned with our love for animals, we have one vegetarian community meal a day, cultivated on the land.
creativity + entrepreneurship
We highly value supporting self starters. Whether someone is interested in launching a landscaping business, work in mechanics, green energy, construction, the arts, the digital world, or nutrition... we do our best to support residents to launch and thrive.
testimonials from our community
Video Testimonial by Dani, former resident
Before Eden Plan, Hanale was homeless and living in a tent. Eden helped him stabilize his life, improve his health, and start working towards his goals. He gained access to food, healthcare, identification, and support he didn’t have before. Eden gave him a real foundation to build from.
Story of Hanale, Former Resident
Eden Plan gave Daniel stability when he had none. With our support, Daniel was able to get his ID, health insurance, medical care, and basic life tools he’d never had access to. We were able to help him move forward with confidence and direction.
story of Daniel, former resident
Our community partners
