My journey as a Restoration Steward: Growth, guidance, challenges and lessons learned

Empowering Bagamoyo communities through seaweed farming

When I was selected as a GLF Restoration Steward, I knew I wanted my project (She shapes nature which deals with empowering young women on seaweed farming and its ocean restoration in Bagamoyo, Tanzania )  to go beyond restoring ecosystems. I wanted it to restore hope, dignity and economic stability for women in coastal communities. Bagamoyo, a historic Tanzanian coastal town rich in culture and biodiversity, became the heart of my mission. Here, the ocean isn’t just a source of life; it’s a source of livelihood, especially for women who farm seaweed to sustain their families.

However, seaweed farming in Bagamoyo has faced growing challenges, including unpredictable tides, limited knowledge on sustainable methods and a lack of structured support. That’s why my project progressed with a simple but powerful approach: to listen, train and co-create solutions.

Laying the groundwork: Community training for impact

In July, we hosted a training workshop that brought together local seaweed farmers, youth and government stakeholders. There was a total of 50 participants, mostly young women who showed incredible energy and eagerness to learn about ocean restoration. 

We kicked off with a presentation by Paul Matonya, a marine scientist and expert in seaweed farming, who shared the mission of the Bagamoyo Seaweed Farming Initiative to economically empower coastal women and girls through strategic planning.

Then came Mrisho Mfalila, a marine expert with experience in ocean restoration. He shared about sustainable seaweed farming techniques such as shallow-water and deep-water farming, including the rafting method (cherezo), which is especially suited to Bagamoyo’s changing coastal conditions.

The most moving part was the community dialogue where women farmers shared their lived experiences, explaining how changing water conditions, a lack of modern farming materials and low prices were making their work harder than ever. Their words brought urgency and humanity to our technical discussions.

Our guest, a government fisheries officer, reaffirmed the importance of updating farming techniques and adapting cherezo farming to promote long-term sustainability while improving yields.

The power of mentorship: Grounding vision in measurable change

Throughout this journey, I have been guided by Levis Sirikwa and Fatema Rajabali, who are my mentors for the Restoration Steward program. They have consistently reminded me that true impact is not just in activities, it’s in outcomes. They ask me, “What change are you bringing to the lives of these women? How do we know it’s working?” 

This guidance has shifted the way I think about my work. It’s no longer just about doing – conducting workshops, farming seaweed or holding meetings – but about transforming. It’s about ensuring that every effort leads to a tangible improvement in women’s lives and their communities. By focusing on measurable change, I have learned that data tells a deeper story: it captures progress, accountability and hope in motion.

That’s why I now align every step with clear, measurable indicators:

• Number of participants reached in capacity building, disaggregated by age and gender, to ensure inclusion and representation.
• Number of women adopting sustainable farming techniques, showing behavioral and mindset shifts toward resilience.
• Improvements in household income, to understand whether empowerment translates into better livelihoods.
• Community feedback on confidence, leadership and knowledge gained, to capture the less tangible but equally powerful dimensions of transformation.

Challenges along the way

Like the sea, this work has not been without turbulence. Every wave brings both motion and resistance; moments of growth, and moments that test my patience, creativity and resolve.

Limited resources continue to hinder efforts to scale alternative methods and innovations. Young women, like myself, are eager to transition to sustainable practices or value-added activities, yet financial constraints make it difficult to access tools, equipment and training materials. This often forces tough decisions about choosing who to support and highlights the need for stronger partnerships, funding and collaboration.

Market access for seaweed and seaweed-based products remains another major obstacle. While young women have mastered the art of farming and producing seaweed-based products, fluctuating prices, dependency on middlemen and limited packaging or certification restrict their ability to reach stable and fair markets. This affects their motivation and the long-term success of projects, making value-chain development and market linkages essential.

Climate change remains a constant threat. Some months, entire farms are washed away by strong waves. I have witnessed women return to empty shorelines, yet still find the courage to start again. For me, this challenge reinforces the urgency of integrating climate adaptation into every intervention, from diversifying income sources to introducing climate-resilient seaweed species and promoting mangrove restoration as natural buffers.

What fuels me is the resilience of the women I work with. They show up, they adapt and they keep going even when conditions are harsh and rewards are uncertain. Their determination keeps me grounded. It reminds me that while challenges may slow us down, they also reveal the true strength of community, collaboration and courage.

Lessons learned

This experience has taught me that restoration is not just ecological, it’s deeply social and economic. Every restored patch of seaweed in the ocean, every young woman empowered and every community mobilized reflects an ecosystem of shared responsibility. I have learned several key lessons:

1. Restoration must be rooted in community ownership.
True restoration goes beyond planting trees or rehabilitating coastlines; it’s about nurturing a sense of belonging. In my work, I have learned that initiatives thrive when young women and local leaders are involved from the start, not as participants, but as co-creators. They decide where to plant, how to manage and how to direct benefits. This ownership ensures that even after external support ends, the work continues. 

2. Technical training is important, but mentorship and monitoring ensure sustainability.
While skills training provides the foundation, long-term success comes from continuous mentorship and consistent follow-up. I have seen that after the first training sessions, enthusiasm is high but without guidance, people revert to old habits. By combining mentorship with regular monitoring, young women remain motivated, improve their techniques and feel accountable for progress. 

3. Young women are not just beneficiaries; they are leaders of change when given the tools and trust.
The transformation I have witnessed among young women in seaweed farming and restoration has been profound. When trusted with knowledge, leadership roles and grants, women innovate, collaborate and uplift others. They inspire confidence across generations. This lesson is universal: whether it’s in coastal Tanzania or another part of the world, empowering women with resources and recognition unlocks community resilience. 

However, these lessons remind me that restoration is about relationships between people and nature, knowledge and action, hope and results. By sharing these learnings, I hope other changemakers can adapt them to their own contexts, creating a ripple effect of empowerment and ecological healing across communities.

What’s next

We are just getting started. The progress so far is only the beginning of a much larger journey, one rooted in community learning, innovation and long-term resilience. Building on the lessons we have gathered, the next phase of our work will deepen our impact and strengthen the foundations for sustainability through these key areas:

1. Establish a knowledge hub in the community for ongoing learning.
We envision creating a community-led hub that serves as a center for training, mentorship and resource sharing. This hub will be a living library of local wisdom and scientific knowledge, where young women, the community and partners can access materials, exchange ideas and co-create new solutions. It will also host workshops on leadership, financial literacy and environmental education, becoming a long-term model for coastal restoration and women’s empowerment

2. Introduce and test a new method of farming seaweed in high water tides, supported by a monitoring system.
To adapt to rising sea levels and unpredictable tides, we will pilot innovative seaweed farming techniques supported by a monitoring system that tracks growth and ecological health, combining local experience with scientific data. This will strengthen productivity, climate resilience and the capacity of women farmers.

3. Partner with local cooperatives to strengthen market access and bargaining power.
Sustainable livelihoods require sustainable markets. By collaborating with local cooperatives and small enterprises, we aim to create stronger, more reliable market channels, set fair prices, reduce exploitation by middlemen and ensure a consistent flow of income for seaweed and value-added products such as soaps, oils and powders. Organizing women producers collectively will help standardize quality, improve packaging and connect producers directly with buyers, shaping women entrepreneurs’ real market influence.

4. Track our impact through data collection, ensuring transparency and continuous learning.

Accountability is at the heart of our growth. We plan to establish a robust system to collect quantitative and qualitative data to track income changes, the rate of adoption of sustainable practices and cataloging personal stories of empowerment. This evidence will guide improvements, demonstrate impact and contribute to wider learning on community-led restoration and women’s livelihoods.

However, what lies ahead is not just expansion, it’s deepening impact. Each of these steps moves us closer to a vision where women stand at the forefront of ecological restoration, leading resilient, self-sustaining communities that thrive alongside nature.

Reflections: She Shapes Nature

This journey has reaffirmed my belief in young women as stewards of nature, custodians of both life and livelihood. In Bagamoyo, the connection between people and the sea runs deep. Here, women rise with the tides, walking barefoot across the shoreline to tend to their seaweed farms. For generations, the ocean has sustained their families, yet it is now these same young women who are sustaining the ocean through their work.

This is why I am so passionate about She Shapes Nature, a storytelling outreach project in Tanzania. We are not just planting seaweed; we are planting seeds of resilience. With every training session, every conversation and every harvested raft of seaweed, we are witnessing transformation. Over 50 women have gained skills in sustainable seaweed cultivation, financial literacy and product innovation, turning raw seaweed into soaps, oils, and powders that increase their income and independence. Households once dependent on irregular daily earnings are now seeing steady growth and savings, even reinvesting in their children’s education.

I carry this work forward with humility, passion, and, as my mentor taught me, data in my back pocket. Because storytelling alone is not enough; impact must be proven, measured and shared. What began in Bagamoyo is more than a local success; it’s a model for how communities can merge restoration with women’s empowerment, showing that when women and nature thrive together, resilience is not just possible; it’s inevitable.