Vision:
The San peoples of Southern Africa will achieve permanent control over their lives, resources and destiny.
 
Mission:
We will develop a network of modern and professional development organisations with competent and responsible San leadership, facilitating a development process with marginalised communities to independently make informed decisions and to implement their own viable response to their situation. The Kuru Family of Organisations (KFO) presently works in over 40 San communities in three districts in Western Botswana. This represents about 20,000 San people or 40% of the San in Botswana. These people come from the following San language groups; Naro, Bugakhwe, Anikhwe, Juoansi, Gwi, Gana and !Xo. Projects also include people sharing the same geographical areas with the San which include Mbandero, Hambukushu and Wayei, all of them minority groups.
 
Within South Africa, the KFO operates within three San communities in the Kimberley and Upington areas in the Northern Cape. This represents about 7,000 people or 70% of the identified San in South Africa. These people come from the San Language groups of the !Xun, Khwe and Khomani. We, the Kuru founder members have dug deep within themselves to explore the values that define who we are as Kuru. We have consulted with other elders, board members and groups of staff, and together we have come up with values that we think describe the soul of our organisation and that are the beacons on the road we have travelled.
 
To be responsible
This is our organisation. The Kuru Family was formed by San people to address the development needs of San people. Where and as long as it is necessary Kuru employs experts from outside the San communities to render skills we do not yet have. As a San organisation Kuru is part of a movement of minority peoples to take up their rightful place in the wider society
 
To heal
The Kuru people come from a culture of healing traditions. It defined the way we hunted and gathered. It still defines the way we think and the way we want to do things. For us everything is linked and should be in balance. When there is drought the land needs to be healed. When there is conflict society and individuals need healing. Development has to be seen from a healing perspective, so that every project must lead to better relations, an improved environment and a better quality of life for all.
 
To give
We all have much to give. The hunter's trophy becomes a gift to everyone in the community. Kuru is a gift by the Founder Members to a new generation. What we can give and contribute to others is who we are. To pay respect and to share your skills are the greatest gifts. Development is about having the freedom to give to others from the unique gifts each and every person has.
 
To have courage
The one that is responsible to find food for people, sometimes have to chase a lion away from the meat. It takes courage to say NO to misuse of power, NO to substance abuse, NO to taking more than what you need or what is rightfully yours. To live with courage is more than having power and control over your surroundings. The courageous is willing to confront the most difficult of issues.
 
To enable
We believe in collective wisdom. It is the task of our leaders to create an enabling environment so that everyone will grow to their full capacity and be able to participate whether old or young or male or female. In a modern organisation this means that we have to find ways to deal with cultural issues like consensus decision making and participatory democracy.

To have personal integrity
One can only walk into the unknown when you know the people around you are trustworthy. Only when you trust someone can you walk into the dessert to find the water you were told would be reached at a specific place and time. As staff we have to be able to believe in one another. The communities need trustworthy organisations that they can trust with their lives.

To know the ""Face of God""
There is a power bigger than ourselves. For many thousands of years we have known that if we looked up, we would see the clouds, the stars, the moon, the sun, the immense sky of the Kalahari. The Naro called this ""Nqarri Kgei kwe - the Face of God"". We can never be alone. No matter how big the challenges are we will always be able to rise above them.