Sazani is an international not-for-profit, research and development organisation. We specialise in community engagement through participatory research, and the development of integrated programmes for sustainable rural development in the UK and overseas and we are now accredited trainers for Connecting Classrooms through Global Learning.
Our Associates
Our multi award winning organisation was established in 2005 by an interdisciplinary group of experienced practitioners (academics, consultants, project managers) from all over the world.
We are dedicated to the use of participatory approaches for research, development and learning. Our associates operate in the fields of socio-economic development, natural resource management and education.
Directors
Cathryn MacCallum PhD, MSc
Cathryn is a founding member and director of Sazani Associates. She is an experienced and skilled socio-economist with a PhD in sustainable livelihoods and global learning. For more than 25 years she has developed integrated approaches to diversifying sustainable livelihoods and has provided extensive technical support and advice to poverty reduction and education projects across Europe, sub-Saharan Africa and MENA. This has involved facilitation of multi-sectoral partnerships, managing and co-ordinating DFID, EU, UNDP, UNESCO and FAO-supported initiatives, as well as corporate social development initiatives. She has demonstrated abilities in all aspects of social analysis, engagement, curriculum planning and management, together with critical application of International Finance Corporation (IFC) standards and Equator Principles to social risk governance economic resettlement, livelihoods restoration and indigenous peoples plans. She is fluent in English and Kiswahili and able to converse in French.
Mark Proctor MSc, DipAs, BSc
One of the founding directors of Sazani, Mark is finalising his PhD on social risk and the energy sector. He is a former UK Civil Servant, qualified UK Social Worker and Social Forester with an MSc in planning. Mark specialises in managing conflict, engagement and community regeneration in urban and rural settings and has significant experience of providing solutions to “Wicked Problems”. With over 20 years of experience in developing and managing large European Union funded projects and in bridging the gap between community, State and corporate needs, Mark has worked extensively in Northern Ireland, Europe and Africa. Bridging the conceptual and communication gap between stakeholders and designing solutions involving Foundations, new knowledge and new forms of communication using Participatory Methodologies is at the heart of his work.
Ian Clegg PhD
Ian, a founding director of Sazani, is a retired academic and expert in criminal justice systems, children’s rights and juvenile justice. He evaluated policy and provided technical advice to DFID for their support policies to developing countries for over 30 years, with a particular interest in MENA, supporting the Jordanian Ministry of Social Development) to incorporate children’s rights and child protection within their policies.
Lisa Farr MSc, BSc
Lisa is a communications specialist and has worked for the past decade in advertising and communications in London, where she is currently based. She specialises in public sector, international and NGO activity, and was central to the development of the Make Poverty History brand and strategy in 2005/6. She lived for fifteen years in East and West Africa, and works increasingly as a consultant on development projects on that continent.
Marilyn James BEd
Marilyn, a founding director of Sazani Associates is a retired teacher and curriculum advisor having worked in education and development for more than 30 years , initiating many of our curriculum development projects, school linking and educational resource production for use with modern technologies. Marilyn is a National Quality Award assessor for the Welsh Network of Healthy Schools Scheme.
Dr Jay Coombs
Jay is the founder of Sazani Belize, which she manages and is a director of Sazani Associates UK. Jay is an expert in socio-economic development, and the delivery of social and environmental programmes throughout the region (Belize, Central America and the Caribbean). She has worked on a number of UN and World Bank Social Funded projects. She is fluent in Creole and Spanish (as well as English) and she has particular expertise working with young people in the areas of HIV prevention and awareness, and in disaster management.
The Team: Wales
Patrick Rutledge
Patrick Rutledge is Education Officer for Sazani Associates. Patrick has a background in both ecology-based fieldwork and outdoor instructing and has taught school-aged learners both within the U.K and overseas for the last 9 years. Patrick’s qualification include a PGCE (Secondary) in Outdoor Activities with Qualified Teacher Status, BSc in Environmental Management, Summer Mountain Leader, Outdoor First Aid training, Climbing Wall Instructor, Level 1 Paddlesport Instructor and Tropical Survey Leader. He is currently studying an MA in Outdoor Education alongside his current role that started in June 2020. In his free time, Patrick enjoys the outdoors of South Wales by regularly climbing and surfing and hopes to apply this love of the outdoors to his role.
Nicola Shone
Nicola Shone is a Philosophy postgraduate with a background and experience in education, environmental and volunteer management. Nicola is the Research and Education Intern at Sazani Associates. Her focus is aiding the expansion of the Attitudes, Behaviours and Competencies for Quality Learning and Resilience project to Sierra Leone and Somaliland, as well as the Healthy and Sustainable Schools Project in Zanzibar, Sierra Leone and Somaliland. Nicola has experience leading Livelihood and WASH projects in Tanzania, along with teaching and managing educational learning projects in the UK.
Rosie Maslin
Rosie Maslin has recently completed her MSc in International Development at the University of Bath and has been volunteering at Sazani since the beginning of October 2020. Rosie’s interests lie in promoting social and environmental justice and she is focusing on enhancing Sazani’s communications as well as supporting funding proposals. Prior to joining Sazani, Rosie worked as the research and communications officer for the Centre for Development Studies at the University of Bath and led education, health and sports development projects in rural Fijian villages. Rosie is also a student delegate for the Development Studies Association and attends regular conferences to enhance the engagement of students in development studies.
The Team: Zanzibar
Salha Suleiman Abdalla
Salha Suleiman Abdalla graduated from Egerton University in Kenya (2017) where she took BSc in Environmental science (Integrated Forest Resource Management). She had her first internship at Mugie wildlife conservancy in Kenya where she lived with the local Samburu community where she studied animal movement, local medicine, bird diversity, and ensured animals lived in a healthy and secure environment. While at Mugie wildlife conservancy, she did her project on assessment of effects of local conservation efforts on wildlife habitats and corridors aiming to reduce human-wildlife conflict. She started working for Sazani as an intern for six months in 2018. In January 2019 she took the position of Project Officer. Her major role in Sazani is to ensure all project activities run smoothly, and ensuring timelines and objectives are met. She is passionate about the environment and animals within it. She enjoys traveling and photography.
Mwanawije Makame
Mwanawije Makame is an experienced teacher as well as a trainer for both primary as well as secondary class teachers, she is working with Sazani for almost six years since 2014. She is a trained teacher with varieties of short course that help with teaching professional. She has taught in different schools in both Unguja and Pemba Islands in Zanzibar. Apart from Sazani where she works part time, she is also working with the Ministry of Education and Vocational training in Zanzibar at the head office in Pemba under Department of Teacher Education as a Training officer.
Rashid Shehe
Rashid is an experienced teacher with over 20 years as a secondary school teacher and support tutor. Rashid has a Diploma in Education (Science Biology/Chemistry) and achieved Grade IIIA in Distance Education for Certificate of Education. Working with different programmes initiated by Ministry of Education and Vocational Training examples, Rashid took part in the Teacher Advancement Program for Lower Secondary Teachers. Rashid has also actively engaged in Trainer for Activity Based Approaches for upper Primary Teachers and is a trainer for Tusome Pamoja (RTI) for Lower Primary Teacher. Rashid works closely with communities surrounding his village where he has initiated the Madrasa for Religious Study and Pre- Primary School, even while there is no access to a permanent building for Pre-Primary. Rashid is fluent in Kiswahili and able to speak, write and converse in English. Rashid currently works at Mizingani Teacher Resource Centre as Subject Advisor for Science & Mathematics and as a part time Education officer at Sazani Trust in the Pemba Office.
Associates
Ada Civitani
Ada specialises in the development and management of education and capacity building needs assessments, primarily in the fields of formal/ informal education, women, youth, and migrants. She has planned and monitored research activities in West Africa and Latin America. Fluent in Italian, French and Spanish, she has coordinated a range of international advocacy networks and sits on EU and UN policy advisory groups related to food security and rural development.
Bob Griffiths
Bob is a qualified UK teacher, marine biologist and former senior civil servant who is a specialist in Project Management, Community Development, Education and Environmental Management. He has significant experience of working with NGOs, Charities, agencies, local and national governments and bridging the gap between government and communities. He has considerable experience of designing and delivering volunteer programmes for groups and in managing environmental, community and Citizen Science projects. He has has supported the set up of numerous social enterprises and delivered and facilitated hundred of community based programmes.
Dr Matthew Richmond
Matthew is a marine scientist based between Wales and Tanzania. He specialises in Environmental Impact and Strategic Environmental Assessment to the oil and gas industry, project research design and development, implementation, monitoring and evaluation, and coastal/aquatic resource analysis. He has also produced a number of scientific and educational publications linked to sustainable livelihoods and marine ecology. He is fluent in Kiswahili, Spanish and Portuguese.
Sazani have developed and delivered vocational training in partnership with local African based colleges. Building on local strengths and supporting existing capacity, linking were possible to government provision is what we do. Enterprise for youths and bridging gaps between technical and vocational provision requires an in depth understanding of the local economy.
Climate Smart
Sazani has worked on climate smart measures driving social change in a range of different countries, some of which are Small Island Developing States (SIDS).
Creating and measures social change – particularly but not exclusively – in relation to community adaption to climate change is one of our specialities.
Sustainable Livelihoods
Developing coastal and rural livelihoods and creating social change through privateer sector growth and development, in particular relating to food production, is where we are most comfortable.
Applying appropriate technologies, using capabilities approach within a sustainable livelihoods framework, is the theory of what we do. We use our practitioner, business development and community development skills – which have been hard won by years in the field – to ensure that our results are permanent and not just temporary solutions.
Innovation
We always build on community strengths for Sazani, innovation in as much about designing mechanisms to create social change as it is about new technologies for programme of project design. We use GIS platforms to analyse the spatial relationships in our data and utilise our links with a number or UK and non-UK universities in both delivery and evaluation.
Participation
This is the heart of our work. Only by giving people systems for communicating and creating the required change will sustainable solutions emerge from whatever is being undertaken. Engaging people and supporting involvement in not a skill one learns in six months practice – all our field staff value their experience as practitioners.
Global Learning
This is about creating “crossing points” for the individuals and communities we work with, giving them the opportunities to contextualise learning in a global context. Understanding issues such as cultural difference, the impacts of climate change and social and environmental injustice is – we think – the best way to broker the creation of sustainable communities and individuals.
For any other information, please get in touch.