A Year of Reflection, Connection, and the Beginning of Scale
As 2025 comes to a close, we reflect on a year marked by clarity, connection, and some of the most significant steps forward in WAJAMAMA’s journey.
This November, our team gathered for a two-day retreat at Johari Beach in Kizimkazi–a peaceful space where we stepped away from our daily routines in the office to align on our strategy and direction for the next year. We reconnected as colleagues and friends, shared good food and good company, and grounded ourselves in the mission that brings us together.
During our time together, we walked through in-depth sessions to understand the pathway ahead, discussing our scaling plans in depth. From learning about finances to our training goals for the year, these conversations–paired with moments of laughter, connection, and shared purpose–left us feeling aligned, energized, and clearer than ever about what lies ahead.
Team members Asha, Jackline, and Alice smile during our retreat at Johari Beach, Kizimkazi.
At the same time, this retreat marked an important turning point. As we were aligning on our strategy, we were also celebrating the start of something transformational: the beginning of the first phase of scaling our Group Care Model (GCM).
In November, we hosted our first pilot training for clinicians from Bwejuu and Chukwani, officially launching our work to bring GCM into government health facilities for the first time. We brought nurse-midwives, mental health officers, social workers, and community health workers to WAJAMAMA, where they received a comprehensive Group Care Facilitation Skills Training.
Nafisa leads a facilitated discussion for our first cohort about gestational diabetes during the initial pilot training. Credit: Light Palmer Photography.
Over the last four years, we have tested our solution, strengthened and refined it, and we have seen the measurable impact it has on the lives of women and babies across Zanzibar. Now, we are asking the critical next question: with our support, can the government do the same? Can GCM be adopted across our archipelago, and eventually sub-Saharan Africa?
Reflecting on where we were just one year ago makes this moment even more meaningful. At our 2024 retreat, we strategized about how we could integrate all of our programs into one to reach as many women and girls as possible. One year later, our vision is sharply defined: By 2030, WAJAMAMA aims to reach 300,000 women and their babies across Zanzibar. To get there, we will equip 500 nurse-midwives and nurse-midwifery students to deliver safe, respectful, and skilled care across the archipelago.
As we close out 2025, we extend our heartfelt gratitude to each of you who make this journey possible. Thank you!
This marks our final newsletter of the year. While we typically share monthly updates (with quarterly reports at the end of each quarter), we’re closing the year with deep appreciation for how far we’ve come together.
Beginning in 2026, our newsletters will more intentionally trace our scaling journey, and we’re bringing you–our WAJAMAMA community–along as we share updates, insights, and stories from our expansion of the GCM across the archipelago.
Thank you for being with us throughout this year. We’re excited to continue the journey with you in the year ahead.
With peace, love, and light,
Team WAJAMAMA 💛
