Malama Kaumana

On January 19, 2020, Officer Kaulike “KK” Kalama was shot and killed in the line of duty during the Diamond Head standoff that shook our community, but it also turned the life of his wife, Ka’ohinani, and his only son, Kaumana, upside down in a matter of minutes. Just five short months later, Ka’ohinani suddenly suffered an unexpected medical emergency that took her life on June 13, 2020. This left their son, Kaumana Kalama, an instant orphan. The only two people in the world that he has known as mom and dad was now gone in a matter of months. 

Today, Kaumana Kalama, now 15 years old, is trying his best to pick up the pieces and is leaning on his family that have been closest to him all these years. His wish is to remain in the home he once shared with his parents and we are determined in making that a reality for him and his guardians, because we believe that the best place to heal is the place you call home. 

The Meleku Foundation provides resources and help for those individuals struggling with loss, whether by incarceration or by final separation, we provide healing and recovery through positive reinforcement and cultural emphasis and practice. Meleku operates by the motto, “If can, can; if no can, then we can”. We are stepping up to answer the call to help make Kaumana’s living situation more comfortable for him and his new guardians. Our desire is to renovate the modest Foster Village home to provide a stable foundation and place of safety for Kaumana for years to come—a gift we can all feel confident will give Kaumana the strong foundation his parents always intended. We can never replace Kaulike and Ka’ohinani, but as guardians and believers on their behalf, we feel we have a duty to malama Mana Kalama.

Meleku is an authorized facilitator of this renovation project and is reaching out to ask for your kokua. We are seeking help in way of financial or in-kind donations to help fund the supplies and materials needed to accomplish this homebuilt project. We know Hawaii is a special place—one where everyone is related, even if we haven’t yet met. We are connected through the spirit of this land, the kaona of this special place that we live, and the ancestral connection that we lean upon for guidance. It is in that spirit, that when one of ours is hurting or in need of help, we all rise up to answer the call. Here is that moment. Please join us.