Our story
Our story
2021-2025: Global connections
From 2021 to 2025, Sazani Associates continued to drive innovation at the intersection of education, ESG, and sustainable development. In Zanzibar, the ABC Project maintained momentum with over 30 schools engaged in the Healthy and Sustainable Schools Programme, delivered in partnership with Sazani Trust. The programme advanced teacher competencies and whole-school development through participatory lesson study, while also contributing to broader policy dialogues on climate and education. Sazani's experience was featured in the UNESCO Prospects Journal on Global Citizenship Education and later translated into the development of the Global Learning Pathway training.
As COVID-19 shifted delivery modes, Sazani adapted its participatory learning and action approaches for remote and hybrid engagement. During this time, the team launched new collaborations with the likes of the Catholic University of Valparaiso, Peterson One, and the Jordanian Hashemite Fund for Human Development (JOHUD), supporting inclusive development strategies, GESI integration, and impact-driven planning.
Sazani’s technical advisory work expanded across Europe, Africa and the Caribbean. Support to Akobo Minerals in Ethiopia led to the design and implementation of an award-winning sustainable natural resource management plan, while work with ARCH Emerging Markets focused on climate finance and biodiversity co-benefits for coastal resilience. Sazani also worked with the Government of Belize and the Centre for Applied Development Studies to design an inclusive, GCF-compliant national climate fund framework. Strategic advisory roles extended to a mix of confidential Due Diligence reviews across Europe, Africa and North America, focusing on social performance, land use planning, and ESG due diligence.
Academic collaboration remained a key pillar, with MSc and PhD student mentorship through Swansea University, and postgraduate teaching partnerships with the Catholic University of Valparaíso and UBC Vancouver. At the EU level, Sazani played a central role in Horizon Europe’s VECTOR project, researching the role of social performance in the critical raw materials sector, and contributing to policy dialogues under the European Green Deal. This built on prior involvement in Horizon 2020's INFACT project, where Sazani supported capacity building and stakeholder engagement in exploration regions.
In 2025, Cathryn was appointed Chair of the CEFAS Blue Economy Panel, guiding strategic foresight and impact alignment in ocean governance.
Alongside this, Sazani’s longstanding commitment to education for global citizenship was amplified through its involvement in the Global Learning Coalition. Working across academia, NGOs, and policy platforms, Sazani played a leading role in shaping a renewed case for global learning in the UK, contributing to the development of a cross-ministerial House of Parliament portfolio for Global Learning. This body of work positioned global learning not only as a pedagogical tool, but as a vital policy lever for tackling climate change, conflict, misinformation, and the just energy transition.
This five-year period culminating in our 20th year, has marked a maturing of Sazani’s role as a connector between grassroots realities and global policy, delivering locally grounded, internationally aligned solutions in education, ESG, and climate resilience.
2016-2020: New horizons
Between 2016 and 2020, Sazani Associates deepened its work in education, climate adaptation, and social performance. In Zanzibar, the ABC Project expanded through Sazani Trust, supporting over 30 schools. Sazani joined RELI and PSIPSE, strengthening inclusive secondary education across East Africa.
As Wales’ education experts in a British Council-funded consortium with Pearson, Sazani delivered the Connecting Classrooms for Global Learning programme, while providing global learning professional development for Welsh teachers. The Global Learning Pathway was launched, and the Global Learning Handbook was published, featuring Zanzibar case studies.
Sazani supported UNEP’s climate adaptation strategy in Sudan and continued collaborating with Swansea University through MSc and PhD researcher placements. Social performance services grew with SRK Consulting across West and Central Africa, including livelihood restoration and health impact assessments. Through partnerships with Avesoro Resources and Aberystwyth University, Sazani piloted a land use change app for biodiversity offsets. It also joined a Horizon 2020 project via SRK Exploration and developed a community engagement strategy for artisanal mining in Ethiopia.
Work with SPOC in Bulgaria expanded into multiple resilience and education initiatives. When COVID-19 emerged, participatory methods were adapted for digital delivery. A new collaboration with Satarla Risk delivered ESG risk tools and reviews, culminating in a major event with the Natural History Museum and partners to launch the jointly developed Who Decides? module on stakeholder influence in sustainable mining.
2011-2015: Transformation
Between 2011 and 2015, Sazani Associates expanded work on climate adaptation by building on the ZEET programme, partnering with 30 communities in Zanzibar to co-develop sustainable visions and local action plans. The Healthy and Sustainable Schools programme gained international recognition, receiving the European Council North-South Centre Award. Cathryn was honoured by the Welsh Government for contributions to global sustainable development and joined the UNESCO Associated Schools Panel and UNESCO Committee for Wales.
As GLEW and ERLAFS funding cycles concluded, Sazani continued school linking, welcoming new Welsh and Zanzibari schools with support from the Wellspring Fund (USA). Technical work included input to Xstrata’s ESIA in Mauritania and a new partnership in Bulgaria to strengthen resilience in communities affected by crisis, conflict, and environmental change, building on collaborations in Hungary and Slovakia.
Partnership with the Development Education Research Centre deepened through global learning events in Bonn, Brussels, Lisbon, London and Swansea. Communications specialist Lisa Farr joined as Director, strengthening internal capacity.
Through support to the Indian Ocean Commission’s ISLANDS project, Sazani contributed to regional climate adaptation strategies, led a youth film competition, and produced resources on deforestation for Zanzibar. A major international conference was co-organised with the University of Bristol’s Small States Research Group.
Sazani began delivering social performance advisory services to SRK Consulting for global mining projects. Following ZEET, Sazani joined the Blue Solutions Initiative, contributing to an innovative mangrove carbon accounting methodology in Zanzibar.
The Healthy and Sustainable Schools programme scaled to 51 schools with funding from Comic Relief, UKAID and the Wellspring Fund, evolving into the ABC Project—anchoring transformative learning for sustainability.
2006-2010: Expansion
Over this five-year period, Sazani Associates expanded its work in education, community development, and sustainability. With Samaki Consulting and UNFPA, the organisation supported secondary education in Zanzibar by developing geography guides on ethics and environmental studies, building on its role in the ERP Community of Practice. In Cameroon, Sazani advised AES Sonel, preparing an Indigenous Peoples and Community Development Plan for Bakola communities affected by infrastructure development.
Supported by the British Council and DFID, the ERP model connected 27 schools in Wales with 27 in Zanzibar through teacher training and curriculum-linked sustainability projects. In the UK and Ireland, Sazani undertook social research for Milford Haven Port Authority and the Council for Racial Equality in Northern Ireland on environmental and migration perceptions.
Europe Aid funding enabled Sazani to lead a ten-country partnership on rural livelihoods and food sovereignty grounded in the Nyéléni Declaration. As a Tenant Empowerment Grant Agent, it also supported Welsh tenant associations to improve community life.
The GLEW project, in partnership with the Workers Education Association, strengthened educator capacity for global learning, supported by collaboration with UCL's Development Education Research Centre. In Zanzibar, Sazani delivered the Comic Relief and UKAID-funded ZEET programme, promoting sustainable enterprises and responsible tourism, and co-developed the Healthy and Sustainable Schools programme with the Ministries of Health and Education, supported by Wales Public Health.
2005: The beginning
Our founding directors, Cathryn, Ian, Marilyn and Mark, set up Sazani Associates, initially as a voluntary association to participate in a UNESCO: FAO Flagship Project: Education for Rural People, working in partnership with organisations from 10 countries: Italy, France, Wales, Zanzibar, Senegal and Bolivia. Over a period of three years, Sazani collaborated on situational analysis of education in rural areas and the establishment of a community of practice to improve access, teaching capacity and quality of provision to relevant education and training, culminating in a UN dialogue with Government Ministers and UN representatives in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.In Zanzibar, Sazani supported our Italian friends, ACRA, to register an office and develop a pro-poor tourism project, which was funded by Europe Aid. In parallel, Sazani supported NGRID with negotiating access to community land preparing livelihood restoration initiatives across Pembrokeshire in lieu of compensation.