WAJAMAMA stands for WATOTO (children), JAMII (community), MAMA

WAJAMAMA is a movement. Built by women, for women.

We are driven by a deep passion for women and children’s health, and a belief that our healthcare systems can do better.

OUR TEAM

We prioritize the inclusion of those who possess deep knowledge and firsthand experience of the issues faced by the communities it aids. Consequently, 92% of WAJAMAMA’s employees are Tanzanian females, and all board members are women, predominantly from Zanzibar.

MEET OUR FOUNDER & CEO

Nafisa Jiddawi

MS, FNP-C, WHNP-BC, CNM

WAJAMAMA was founded by Nafisa Jiddawi, a Zanzibari-American whom from a young age, witnessed suffering caused by preventable illnesses and systemic injustices towards birthing people and their infants.

Nafisa Jiddawi is the founder and CEO of WAJAMAMA. She graduated from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing in 2010. After working as a Registered Nurse for two years, Nafisa pursued her Master of Science at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., where she trained as a Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner and Certified Nurse Midwife. After graduating with honors in 2014, Nafisa worked as an Advanced Practice Nurse in Baltimore, M.D. and Washington, D.C. She then expanded her scope of practice and trained as a Family Nurse Practitioner at George Washington University in Washington, D.C. Nafisa is currently certified by the American Midwifery Certification Board (AMCB), National Certification Corporation (NCC), and the American Academy of Nurse Practitioner (AANP). As a healthcare professional, Nafisa has had the opportunity to manage a wide variety of patients in both high-and low-resource settings in the United States and Zanzibar, and has held a leadership position in the National Rehabilitation Network in Washington, D.C. In May of 2021, Nafisa was honored with an “Outstanding Alumni Award” by Georgetown University. 

Board of Trustees

  • Cheherazade is the Founder & Managing Director of Inaya Zanzibar Limited. She grew up in Nouakchott, Mauritania (West Africa). She is a graduate and an International Commerce master’s degree holder of the I.P.A.G. Business School of Paris, France. She co-founded and co-owns Inaya Zanzibar, a soap and skincare factory. Inspired by Africa’s rich nature and diverse culture, the company makes unique, natural and handmade products in Zanzibar, Tanzania. Inaya Zanzibar, proudly, has an all-women production and sales team. Cheherazade is also the Vice-Chairperson of the Manufacturers Council of Zanzibar.She is a board member of the Zanzibar National Chamber of Commerce. She is a councilor representing Zanzibar on the board of the Confederation of Tanzania Industries. She was appointed on the Zanzibar National Business Council as the industrial sector representative.

  • Dr. Mwanakheir graduated as a Medical Doctor from the University of Dar Es Salaam in 1983. After working in Obstetrics and Gynecology at Mnazi Mmoja hospital in Zanzibar for two years, she pursued a Master in Public Health (MPH) with a focus on Maternal and Child Health at San Diego State University in the United States. Upon completion of her MPH, she moved back to Zanzibar to continue working at Mnazi Mmoja as the Head of Maternal and Child Health for two years. She then worked in the Obstetrics and Gynecology department at Hindu Mandal Hospital in Dar es Salaam. In 1991, she started working as the Primary Care Doctor at the SOS Children’s Village in Zanzibar while simultaneously working in the pediatrics ward at Mnazi Mmoja hospital. In addition to these positions, she also worked part-time as a primary care provider at the Zanzibar Medical Group (ZMG) in Stone Town from 1995 until 2007. In 2007 she was appointed as the manager of the Blood Transfusion Service of Zanzibar. Under her leadership, the Blood Bank thrived and not only achieved international recognition and accreditation from the Africa Society for Blood Transfusion Service, but also transitioned from being internationally supported by the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) to being domestically sustained. As the Director of Zanzibar’s Blood Transfusion Services, she oversaw an exchange program established between Zanzibar and Nepal for learning and sharing of evidence-based practices to help maintain the international standards at the Blood Bank. In collaboration with Haukeland Hospital in Norway, Dr. Mwanakheir also helped establish an emergency transfusion protocol for women during labor, birth, and the postpartum period, which has played a key role in the reduction of maternal mortality in Zanzibar.

  • A Zanzibari, working in the local community to drive change. Previously, sat at Board level of a non for profit educational institution, as part of Governance Committee. Currently, leading the finance and operations of International School of Zanzibar.

  • Sarah Mohammed brings over 12 years of complex financial and grant management experience. She has worked for various development organizations, including Jhpiego, the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), and CDC Tanzania. Sarah has extensive experience budgeting, forecasting, and reporting for grants, and large-scale international projects with complex structures that involve multiple PIs and multiple sites. She has experience performing audits, and developing processes to increase financial reporting quality. With many years of experience living and working in the developing world, Sarah has worked across cultures and geographies to ensure sound financial management systems and the smooth functioning of finance and accounting departments.

  • Bahati is a personal development enthusiast whose life mission is helping other women iden-fy the poten-al power within them and use it to empower themselves in every spheres of their lives. She is mostly active with Tea Party Zanzibar a networking platform initiated by her to bring together women from different background to learn, unlearn and relearn issues that impact them in the society like, health, wealth, personal development, among many. She is also passionate about Events Management, the career she unearthed out of her passion for cleaning and organizing her house which lead to the founding of her company, B.M Events. Bahati joined the WAJAMAMA Foundation board because she believes women’s health is a catalyst for their and the society’s development and advancement and that development should start from early childhood. That is why she wants to use her expertise gathered from different fields to enhance the foundation’s mission and achieve the overall goal of bettering health and wellbeing of women in the Zanzibar Archipelago. With a background of Finance and Accounting Bahati brings in vast knowledge in the field and hopes to drive further the WAJAMAMA Foundation’s mission, and impact lives of women and Children.

  • Dr. Moira Hennessey, MPH, PhD, has cultivated over 20 years of expertise as a licensed clinical psychologist and public health practitioner. Her career has been marked by her dedication to equipping communities and individuals with tools to thrive in challenging circumstances. This is evident in her involvement in psychotherapy, capacity building, and program design spanning various global regions. Focusing on the complexities of trauma treatment, Dr. Hennessey integrates evidence-based practices and underscores the importance of culturally relevant approaches to mental health. She is steadfast in her mission to address the effects of adversity and spotlight pathways to resilience.

    An alumnus of Barnard College, Boston University, and The Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Dr. Hennessey has enriched her knowledge and skills through specialized training at the Cambridge Health Alliance's Victims of Violence Program, Harvard Medical School, and the Boston Medical Center's Trauma Team.

    Today, she runs a private practice in Cambridge and lends her expertise as an instructor and mental health specialist to the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative. Beyond her clinical work, Dr. Hennessey's commitment to mental health resonates through her active engagement in both community and global initiatives.

Advisory Board 

  • Dr. Christina Marea is Certified-Nurse Midwife and Assistant Professor at Georgetown’s School of Nursing. She holds a PhD from Johns Hopkins School of Nursing. Her research broadly focuses on disparities in perinatal and reproductive health outcomes for marginalized and structurally disadvantaged populations, and health services interventions to address these disparities. Dr. Marea has practiced clinically as a midwife in birth centers, refugee camps, rural hospitals, and tertiary care hospitals. She has led research, clinical, and consulting collaborations in Guatemala, Jordan, Syria, Somalia, Kenya, Ethiopia, South Sudan, Uganda and here in DC. Christina currently practices midwifery at Community of Hope, a local FQHC, with whom she is collaborating to develop a 12-month model of postpartum care informed by client perspectives and priorities. Christina serves on the DC Maternal Mortality Review Commission, the DC Maternal Health Advisory Group via DC Department of Healthcare Finance, and is the Chair of the Division of Global Engagement at the American College of Nurse-Midwives.

  • Hafsa Mbamba is a seasoned CEO specializing in tourism and creative consultancy, boasting nearly two decades of experience in the industry. She excels in business development, communication management, and tourism management. Fluent in Danish, English, and Kiswahili, Hafsa has held several key positions, including her current role as Executive Secretary at the Zanzibar Commission for Tourism, and as the Founder and Managing Director of a destination travel company. Her extensive consultancy work underscores her expertise in sustainable tourism, communication, and event management. Hafsa is deeply committed to promoting the cultural and natural attributes of destinations, leveraging her skills to enhance and sustain their unique qualities.

  • Tracey Li specialises in the use of data for health in low and middle income countries. She has an extensive range of knowledge and technical skills covering the technological, ethical, and human aspects of data use, combined with several years of practical implementation experience in sub-Saharan Africa. She provides support with monitoring and evaluation, analysis, research, and data management. She has lived and worked in multiple countries, including Zanzibar, holding technical and technical leadership positions within a variety of research, private sector, and NGO settings. She has a Bachelor and Master's degree in Natural Sciences from Cambridge University and a PhD in Physics from Durham University.

  • Upon graduating from a medical school in Romania in 1979, Dr. Jiddawi returned to Tanzania, to work at Muhumbili Hospital in Dar Es Salaam initially and then Mnazi Mmoja Hospital in Zanzibar. In 1989, he earned his Master of Medicine in General Surgery from the University of Dar Es Salaam and moved to Brighton, England, to train in Endoscopic Urology. After completing  this program, he returned to Zanzibar in 1992 to work as the Head of the Department of Surgery at Mnazi Mmoja Hospital; a position he held until 2006, when he was nominated by the President of Zanzibar at the time to become the Principal Secretary of the Ministry of Health. During this time, Dr. Jiddawi also founded Zanzibar Medical Group, a Primary Care Clinic in Stone Town. Dr. Jiddawi served the Ministry of Health as the Principal Secretary for 10 years and under his leadership, the ministry initiated the Malaria Control program funded by the President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI), which has had tremendous success in controlling malaria in Zanzibar. After retiring from the Principal Secretary position,  Dr. Jiddawi was nominated again by the President of Zanzibar to serve as an Advisor to the Ministry of Health. In addition to practicing at his small private practice and being a Medical Advisor to WAJAMAMA, Dr. Jiddawi is also the Chair of the Board of Zanzibar’s Health Research Institute.  

  • MD, OBGYN 

    Dr. Connie Mao is Associate Professor Emeritus at the University of Washington in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology.  Her research has focused on the prevention of cervical cancer with HPV vaccination, screening for cervical cancer and treatment of precancerous lesions.  Dr. Mao has been teaching providers in low and middle income countries for decades. She has a wide range of experience in board service and currently serves as philanthropic advisor to the Trotula Fund and Yang Jing Foundation.

  • Ashley Gresh is both a certified nurse-midwife and a public health nurse, whose research focuses on addressing inequities in maternal and child health outcomes. Her current work examines the effects of perinatal group-based care on maternal and child health in the postpartum period, and examines ways for adapting, implementing, and sustaining group care in Baltimore and globally. Dr. Gresh is committed to co-creating solutions to issues in health care with the communities she serves by using a human-centered design approach; one that shifts power dynamics and centers the rights and well-being of childbearing people, their families, and communities.

    She has a range of global and international health experience including being in the inaugural cohort of the Global Women’s Health Fellowship, a joint venture between the Johns Hopkins Schools of Nursing and Medicine and Jhpiego. A foundational career goal for Dr. Gresh is to reimagine and redefine postpartum care to transform systems and delivery of care.