As we close out 2025, I find myself reflecting not just on the past twelve months, but on the journey of the last quarter-century.
This year, VillageReach celebrated a defining milestone: our 25th Anniversary. While the number itself is significant, what stood out was how we celebrated. From Abidjan to Lilongwe, Kinshasa to Maputo, to Nairobi and Seattle and across every corner of the organization, we found that, as a locally driven, globally connected organization, our strength lies in our connection to one another.
This anniversary served as a grounding moment. It allowed us to re-establish our vision and ensure that the reasons VillageReach was founded 25 years ago continue to drive our work today with renewed focus.
The Heart of Our Work
Data is important as it proves our models work, but stories show our heart. They remind us why every spreadsheet, dashboard and report exists.
This September, during the UN General Assembly side event hosted by the Community Health Impact Coalition (CHIC), I heard a story that will stay with me. I listened to a Community Health Promoter from Kenya share her experience. She spoke not only as a health worker serving her neighbors, but also as a woman living with HIV who depends on the very system she helps sustain.
Listening to her message, not just as a provider of support, but as someone who needed support and found it available, was a profound moment. It validated that the work we do is urgent, it is changing lives and making a tangible difference to those who need it most.
Navigating Headwinds with Resilience
We must also acknowledge the reality in which we operate. 2025 has been a difficult year for Global Health. The funding environment has been constrained and challenges across the sector have intensified. Everyone is feeling it, though we are all reacting differently.
I am incredibly proud of how VillageReach has navigated through these challenges. We approached the crisis together.
Instead of reacting with panic, we used internal evidence to refine and redefine the organization. We made difficult decisions to ensure our core obligations to communities remained intact. As painful as this period has been for the industry, our collective actions have ensured that VillageReach remains viable.
I expect these challenges to continue into 2026. However, history shows that organizations that organize themselves effectively during a crisis are the ones that emerge stronger. I am confident VillageReach will come out on the other end not just surviving but continuing to provide sustainable support to the communities we serve.
Our Focus for 2026: Impact and Efficiency
Looking ahead, my vision for VillageReach in 2026 centers on one word: Impact.
Without impact, development work risks becoming routine. We are not here for routine; we are here to ensure positive, measurable change at the community level.
To our partners and donors: My appeal to you for 2026 is to support what works. In a resource-constrained world, support must be based on efficiency and proven results. We urge you to back innovation that has good prospects, but ultimately, every investment must yield a positive result for the people we serve. VillageReach is committed to delivering that work with speed, cost-effectiveness and rigor.
To the communities we serve: My message is that our commitment remains steadfast. We are here. We will continue to co-create initiatives with you. We will prioritize your needs and keep working to ensure governments can sustainably carry forward the improvements we build together.
Thank you for standing with us for 25 years.
As we enter 2026, let us move forward with a focus on efficiency, resilience and above all, impact.