This month, Zizi Afrique Foundation team stepped away from the familiar rhythm of desks, timelines, and field activities and journeyed to the majestic Tafaria Castle in Nyeri. The retreat served as a moment to breathe, connect, dream, reflect, take stock of the gains and chart the organization’s next chapter.
Tafaria Castle, perched against rolling hills and quiet skies, offered the perfect environment for both reflection and creative thinking. Its calm spaces helped the team slow down enough to look back at 2025 with gratitude and forward to 2026 with renewed ambition ahead of Vision 2040 Strategic Plan Blueprint.
Celebrating 2025 Milestones
The retreat opened with a reflection on the foundation’s work throughout 2025. Different directorates shared stories from classrooms, communities, partners, and young learners across the country and how the organization has shaped Policies around education in Kenya and Africa, improving numeracy and Literacy among learners in Kenya, and how the organization has been able to shape the Education sector using data and Evidence as well as promoting life skills and values among learners. Each story echoed the same conviction: that every child deserves the opportunity to learn well, grow confidently, and shape their own future.
These reflections reinforced Zizi Afrique’s mission and reminded the team why their work matters to the Children of Kenya and Africa. They celebrated progress, acknowledged challenges, and honoured the resilience shown throughout the year.
Planning A head: Designing 2026 with Purpose
One of the core goals of the retreat was planning for the first half of 2026. Teams worked collaboratively to:
- Outline priorities for the new year
- Streamline work plans
- Prepare budgets to strengthen program delivery
- Align on new approaches to deepen impact
- Plan for the unveiling of the 2040 Strategy Blueprint.
The conversations were intentional, collaborative, and future-facing. Everyone contributed ideas, questioned assumptions, and ensured strategies remained grounded in the realities of the communities served.
Rebranding and a New Horizon: The Blueprint to 2040
A key highlight of the retreat was the discussion around Zizi Afrique’s upcoming rebrand in 2026. This refresh marks a pivotal moment as the foundation prepares to launch a bold, long-term strategy: the Blueprint for 2040, unveil its new name and position itself as a leader in Foundational learning in Kenya and Africa. This blueprint lays out a vision for improving foundational learning in Kenya and across Africa, ensuring that by 2040, millions more children gain strong literacy, numeracy, and transferable life skills and values that open doors to opportunities, and ensuring that every child can read and solve simple mathematics by the time they are in grade three. It also provided an opportunity to refine the new vision, interrogate approaches, and begin aligning communication and identity with the next phase of growth.
Team Building: Strengthening Bonds Beyond Work
Of course, no retreat is all planning. The team laughed together, mingled together, danced together, shared meals, and enjoyed the serene ambiance of Tafaria. These simple moments of connection nurtured trust, lowered barriers, and reminded everyone that behind every project are people: passionate, committed, and human. This helped the team not just aligned but also deeply connected with the organization’s core values, Ubuntu, Curiosity, Safety, Accountability, and Diversity
Looking Forward
As 2026 approaches, Zizi Afrique Foundation stands at a defining threshold: ready to introduce a renewed identity, launch a transformative long-term strategy, and continue expanding efforts to strengthen foundational learning.
The retreat at Tafaria Castle was not simply a gathering. It was a reset. A grounding. A promise to do better, dream bigger, and stay rooted in service.
