At the start of every year, we convene our annual staff retreat to pause, reflect, and reset as one institution. The retreat creates space for honest reflection on where we are coming from, clarity on where we are going, and alignment on how we will get there together.
This yearβs beginning-of-the-year retreat was designed to link our strategy to everyday practice, ensuring that individual work plans, departmental priorities, and institutional goals were aligned with the strategic plan. It was a space for us to ground ourselves in the values, work culture, and strategic direction.
The week-long retreat enabled us to review progress from the previous year of implementation, which was also the first year of implementing the new Strategic Plan. Through guided discussions, group work, and plenary sessions, teams assessed what worked well, what fell short, and what needed to change to strengthen institutional impact.
Watch our retreat experience; https://youtu.be/29l4jvElL_A?si=P1BO_Fe70kASMb-l
The retreat also served as a key platform for capacity building and compliance. Staff were oriented on programme priorities, institutional policies, monitoring and reporting tools, and financial and administrative processes to support effective, accountable, and ethical delivery of our work.
Staff wellness and teamwork were central. Dedicated self-care and wellness sessions created time to recharge, strengthen working relationships, and reinforce a culture that values both performance and wellbeing.
By the close of the retreat, staff had a shared understanding of 2026 priorities, clearer roles and responsibilities, strengthened technical capacity, and renewed commitment to advancing health and human rights through coordinated, values-driven action.
As an institution, we are charged and set for 2026, prepared, aligned, and clear about the work ahead.
Compiled by Jacqueline Twemanye – Communications coordinator | Center for Health, Human Rights and Development (CEHURD)