As long as I can remember from the age of 7 I accompanied my mother to the maternity wards at Dodoma Regional Hospital to congratulate the new mothers on the arrival of their new babies. This was my favourite part of the weekend, cherishing solo time with my mum while also meeting the new adorable babies which were just born. At that age I was young and naive, and the little bundles of joys, along with the warmth in the mothers smiles made me see only the happiness of motherhood. As I grew older, I begun to learn more about injustice, inequity, about loss, pain and the complexities there are behind a safe birth. This is why I am so deeply thrilled to have recently joined the inspiring WAJAMAMA team. We are united in our vision of a world where every woman achieves the healthiest version of herself - physically, mentally and socially - and where the beginning of each life is as healthy and beautiful as possible. My passion lies in improving the lives of mothers and children starting with Eastern Africa where I was born and brought up. I hold an MSc in Reproductive and Sexual Health from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and have over 10 years of experience working in the reproductive health sphere. I have also worked with D-tree, The Nature Conservancy, Jhpiego, Pathfinder International, OPM, DFID, USAID, PMI, the Segal Family Foundation, MAMA Hope, and have been a reoccurring guest lecturer at KCMC University School of Public Health and have worked for other smaller organizations in the area of M&E, research, capacity building, program planning and fundraising. Prior to TNC, I co-founded Totohealth Tanzania a social enterprise with the mission of making motherhood a safe and joyful experience for mothers, parents, and caregivers.