Igniting change: building a community movement 

At She Shapes Nature, our impact goes far beyond training rooms. Over the months, we have worked directly with 50 young women from the Bagamoyo entrepreneurs group, equipping them with practical tools, confidence and a sense of collective identity. 

Our engagement model blends skills-building with community circles, mentorship sessions and peer-to-peer learning. This approach ensures that knowledge does not remain with individuals but is shared, expanded and adapted within families and neighborhoods. By creating spaces where young women feel heard, valued and connected, we transform training into a continuous journey of empowerment and community leadership.

The result is not just a group of trained participants, but a growing community movement. These 50 young women now serve as resources within their villages, sharing nature-based solutions guidelines, climate storytelling kits, leadership manuals and simple monitoring templates to support others. 

Many women have started guiding other women in resource management and leading conversations on gender and biodiversity in local gatherings. Through this ripple effect, She Shapes Nature is proving that with the right tools, mentorship and a shared vision, young women can ignite powerful, self-sustaining movements that transform both people and landscapes.

Collaboration in the deep water

In Bagamoyo, deep-water seaweed farming has become a powerful example of social action because it brings the whole community together to learn, work and solve problems collectively. Using the rafting method, community members first gather materials, ropes, floats and poles and assemble the rafts as a team. Women, youth, marine scientists and experts work shoulder-to-shoulder to tie seedlings, anchor the rafts and position them 5-7 meters deep in the ocean. This collective effort transforms farming into a shared mission: everyone contributes, everyone learns and everyone takes ownership of the monitoring and evaluation. The process becomes more than a technique; it becomes community unity in action.

The cherezo method strengthens this collaboration even further. Because it requires careful installation and ongoing maintenance, community members must continuously communicate, monitor tides and support each other in managing the deeper, more complex waters. Marine scientists guide the process, while women farmers share local knowledge of seasons, currents and safe zones. Together, we blend traditional experience with modern techniques to improve productivity and sustainability. 

Through these methods, deep-water farming becomes a symbol of social action where collective work, shared knowledge and mutual support empower the entire community to adapt, innovate and build a stronger livelihood system.

International representation: GLF Africa Community and Action Assembly 2025

This year in June, Paul Matonya, a marine scientist, had the honor of attending the GLF Africa Community and Action Assembly in Nairobi, Kenya. That experience reshaped the way he views landscape restoration, leadership and community engagement.

He joined the assembly as a 2025 Restoration Steward, representing a She Shapes Nature project that is empowering women and girls in sustainable seaweed farming along the Bagamoyo coast of Tanzania. As a marine conservation enthusiast deeply committed to improving community livelihoods through the blue economy, he was eager to learn how others across Africa are restoring their landscapes and how their approaches could strengthen the work we are doing back home.

One of the most unforgettable moments of the assembly was the visit to the Lari Landscape. Witnessing how deeply the communities care for their environment left a powerful impression on him. In Lari, conservation is not treated as a separate project or occasional activity, but it is woven into daily life. People restore their landscapes the same way they nurture their households: with pride, consistency and love. Seeing that connection between people and nature reminded him that restoration thrives when communities see themselves as custodians of their ecosystems.

It inspired him to think about how we can cultivate this same sense of ownership within coastal communities back home.

Reflections from AYSB and the WCA

Zuhura trains youth on making body oil out of seaweed at the action corner of the WCA. Photos: Ngobi Joel 

The African Youth Summit on Biodiversity (AYSB) in Kigali, Rwanda, brought together passionate young leaders from across Africa to exchange ideas, strengthen collaborations and push forward conversations on the implementation of the Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF). 

What made this year exceptional was how the discussions moved beyond theory. Youth showcased actions that translate policy paper commitments into real, community-rooted solutions for biodiversity conservation.

For the first time, I had the opportunity to showcase the uses of seaweed body oil, an innovation from the seaweed value chain. The Community and Action Corner was a space that highlighted grassroots solutions, and I was humbled by the interest the product received. Attendees were eager to understand not only the product itself but also the process, impact on coastal women and the broader potential of nature-based enterprises to drive economic and ecological resilience.

At the 6th World Congress on Agroforestry (WCA), a global gathering that brings together scientists, practitioners, Indigenous communities, policymakers and youth, the atmosphere was equally transformative. This congress serves as one of the world’s most important platforms for shaping the future of agroforestry, restoration and sustainable land management. Being held in parallel with the AYSB made it a powerful convergence of research, policy and youth-led action.

I joined a special networking space hosted by the International Union for Agroforestry (IUFRO). This space was designed to foster intergenerational dialogue, showcase innovations and connect young practitioners with global experts in agroforestry systems, climate-smart agriculture and restoration science. For me, it was not just a networking room; it was a learning hub where ideas flowed freely and young people were encouraged to bring forward bold, practical solutions.

Personal transformation

My journey through both local and international engagements has transformed the way I understand leadership, community and impact. Working closely with coastal women in Bagamoyo taught me the power of listening and grounding solutions in people’s lived realities, while international platforms exposed me to diverse ideas, bold innovations and the courage required to push boundaries. 

These experiences together shaped me into a more empathetic, confident and intentional leader, one who values collaboration, embraces learning and recognizes that true transformation begins when local wisdom meets global perspectives.