This study focuses on revealing the process of founding a small-scale locality-basedrnsocial development organization called Ubuntu Family-Based Child Support Initiativern(hereafter referred as Ubuntu for short), which was established by me (the researcher)rnin collaboration with faculty members at Ambo University, in Ambo town, Ethiopia.rnUbuntuâ€™s social development program was intentionally initiated and organized asrnpart of social work practice and community engagement to address the needs of poorrnand vulnerable families. Using autoethnography as the principal research method, thernstudy reveals my journey while I executed the day-to-day activities of the Ubunturnsocial development organization. This action-oriented autoethnographic studyrnemploys multiple data collection instruments such as key informant interviews, focusrngroup discussion, informal conversations, field notes, and document review. Thernfindings reveal that employing the Asset Based Community Development (ABCD)rnapproach was effective in founding and promoting a locality-based socialrndevelopment organization to address the needs of families living in extreme poverty.rnThe overall Ubuntu experience mobilizes and engages stakeholders for effectivernlocality based social development. The Ubuntu Service User Families (USUFs) havernbeen committed to improve their living condition through income generating activitiesrnwhen they learned that, it is their fellow citizens who were supporting them comparedrnto foreign or government aid. The emergence of Ubuntu in Ambo University alsornserved as a bridge to create a functional University Community Partnership (UCP) tornbring about mutual benefits for the University and the local community. Key findingsrninclude the indispensable catalytic role of an academic-practitioner, the support ofrnuniversity leadership, and collaboration with multiple stakeholders in founding arnlegally registered social development organization within a public university. The rnUbuntu experience affirms the possibility of replicating a similar locality-based socialrndevelopment organization in other universities in Ethiopia.rnKeywords: Autoethnography, Ubuntu, Social Development, Asset Based CommunityrnDevelopment, University-Community Partnership, Academic-Practitioner, Ethiopia.