Zimbabwe
x We Care Solar
The power of solar to bring safer deliveries for every mother and newborn
Join us on an unforgettable journey to the heart of Zimbabwe, where our immersive cultural and learning experience will deepen our knowledge about public healthcare, maternal-newborn services, education, and solar power. Our rural clinic visits will be complemented with peer learning engagements for our children, bespoke experiences to better understand the local culture and excursions deep into the Zimbabwean landscape to see the wonder of its natural habitat and rich wildlife. Beyond its natural beauty and cultural richness, Zimbabwe beckons with open arms, inviting you on a journey of adventure, discovery and impact.
March 29 - April 5, 2027
For mothers, grandmothers, and children aged 8+
Part 1 Illuminating Impact: A journey into solar-powered healthcare in Zimbabwe
Kicking off this journey, you will first touch land in Victoria Falls, one of the 7 natural wonders of the world, to experience the jaw dropping waterfalls and deafening mist the locals refer to as “the smoke that thunders.” You'll settle into Victoria Falls River Lodge for four nights — riverside tents with spectacular views of the Zambezi River and opportunities to experience the bush by foot. The group cohort will begin the AtlasDaughters programming through an introduction to the big picture of philanthropy, preparing us for the frontline access to the health clinics that lies ahead. Eager to dive in, the We Care Solar team will guide you in deep engagement with intimate access to the inside world of maternal-newborn healthcare. Our local nonprofit team will lead us through lush scenery to reach last-mile clinics, meeting with healthcare personnel and witnessing firsthand the impact of We Care Solar Suitcases. We will speak with midwives and hear their inspiring stories of resilience and dedication to improving maternal and newborn care. A quieter counterpoint comes at dawn, with a mokoro or canoe outing on a hushed stretch of the Zambezi, a Tonga guide sharing river lore rather than wildlife commentary, ending in a private breakfast laid out on the bank.
In addition to seeing the effect of light on these clinics both during the day and in the evening, we will participate in a We Care Solar Suitcase installation - watching solar installers as they climb on rooftops to mount solar panels and teach health workers to use medical devices. We will join in local festivities as the community celebrates receiving the gift of light. Some evenings will close with our own solar lantern-lighting ritual at dusk — each family lighting a lantern together by the river as the sun goes down, paired with a short reflection or a blessing from a local elder, a quiet echo of the gift of light we've come to witness. One of the highlights of our trip will be engaging in hands-on learning activities with a Solar Suitcase Learning Kit. Through simple exercises with solar panels and little motors, to building our own Solar Suitcase Kit, this workshopempowering our group with the knowledge and skills to harness the sun's energy for a brighter future. - where we can better understanding solar power.
Beyond our grassroots interactions, our cohort will have the privilege of meeting with government officials from the Ministry of Health, getting an inside look at the importance of engaging government support to scale up solar-powered healthcare solutions nationwide.
Our cultural programming in Victoria Falls is built around intimate, participatory evenings rather than staged performances. On the lodge grounds at golden hour, the Tsholotsho basket weavers and the Mapepa Culture Fund papermakers — both women-led — lead a hands-on craft session, and each family leaves with a handmade piece to take home. Guided by our We Care Solar country team, we spend time in a community they know well, sharing a home-cooked meal. And as light fades, the group gathers for riverside drumming and dance on the Zambezi — participatory, not performative, so grandmothers and daughters dance rather than watch — and, on another evening, an elder's storytelling circle under the trees, oral history and folklore passed along unamplified, tea or a local drink shared around the circle.
This first part of our journey will leave both mothers and their children with an understanding for early philanthropy concepts that span framing global challenges, understanding global players working to solve those challenges, power dynamics, what makes for great partnerships and lastly, firsthand experience with how nonprofits approach solutions for long-lasting impact. The Victoria Falls River Lodge stay concludes with a stunning helicopter ride over Victoria Falls, before we travel upstream to Mpala Jena.
Traveling with Dr. Laura Stachel
For three days of this journey, our cohort will be joined by Dr. Laura Stachel, founder of We Care Solar and one of the world's leading voices on energy access and maternal health. A Forbes 50 Over 50 honoree and 2024 AARP Purpose Prize winner, Stachel built We Care Solar's Solar Suitcase from an idea into a program that has reached 11,696 health facilities to date and helped over 25 million mothers and newborns a safer delivery. Her presence transforms this journey from a site visit into a masterclass. Our travelers and their daughters will learn directly from her on what it actually takes to bring light and safety to a birthing clinic via solar suitcase installation, training health workers, collaboration with local governments and empathetic relationship building with community healthcare workers and the families they serve. It's a rare chance to spend real time with a leader who has spent decades solving for maternal mortality; a problem that affects nearly 300,000 women around the globe each year in pregnancy and childbirth and nearly one million newborns who don’t survive their first day of life.
Our local nonprofit team will lead us through lush scenery to reach last-mile clinics, meeting with healthcare personnel and witnessing firsthand the impact of We Care Solar Suitcases.
Part 2 Wilderness Reflections: Synthesizing philanthropic insights in Zimbabwe
From Victoria Falls River Lodge, we bid farewell to our We Care Solar team and travel upstream to Mpala Jena for three nights — a quieter, more remote camp in the Zambezi National Park that becomes the backdrop for our most intimate AtlasDaughters family programming.
Mpala Jena was founded by Dereck and Beverly Joubert, the well-known wildlife filmmakers behind Great Plains Conservation, who first established the camp within Zambezi National Park. Their passion for nature and storytelling shapes the experience — truly inspiring figures in conservation.
Our unique AtlasDaughters programming will evolve from macro understanding of philanthropy toward tactical approaches of impact for both our mothers and children. We will take our mother-child duos through workshops to identify family values, learn about different approaches to drive impact, inspire our children to become change agents within their communities and empower both mothers and their children on a journey of self-discovery and plan for impact following the trip's conclusion.
Evenings at Mpala Jena include the camp's own solar-powered watering hole safaris and river safaris, a restful, reflective close to the more intensive days downstream.
About our
nonprofit partner
We Care Solar
To date, they have equipped 8,900 health facilities and trained 35,000 health workers - giving 15 million mothers and newborns a safer delivery.
We Care Solar saves lives in childbirth using clean energy solutions. Every woman has the right to a safe delivery. We Care Solar is on a mission to ensure mothers and newborns can deliver safely in a well-lit health center.
Annually, nearly 300,000 women and one million newborns lose their lives during pregnancy and childbirth, mostly in Saharan Africa and South Asia, where more than 100,000 health facilities often lack electricity. Midwives and other health workers struggle to provide life-saving care in near darkness, relying on candlelight, kerosene lanterns, or cell phone lights. In near-darkness, procedures are often postponed or canceled, equipment lies dormant, and lives are lost.
We Care Solar provides last-mile health centers with innovative Solar Suitcases – compact, solar electric systems that give health workers “the power to save lives.” Solar Suitcases offer surgical lights, medical devices, and power for emergency communication, enabling midwives and doctors to provide immediate, around-the-clock lifesaving care.
To date, they have equipped 11,696 health facilities, trained 900 solar technicians and over 43,000 health workers - giving over 25 million mothers and newborns a safer delivery. At the same time, their climate-friendly programs have averted more than 111,000 tons of CO2.
We Care Solar partners with governments, UN agencies, and international NGOs to lead national programs and build local capacity. Their gender-inclusive educational workshops promote women as solar installers and leaders.
We Care Solar is catalyzing a global movement for gender-inclusive climate action that has multigenerational impact, ensuring that every mother has access to safe and dignified childbirth.
Co-funding grant opportunity
We Care Solar is on a mission to Light Every Birth in countries with high rates of maternal mortality and poor electrification. Zimbabwe was the third national program that serves as a field visit site for this AtlasDaughters journey. Upcoming Light Every Birth countries include Malawi, Tanzania, Nigeria and Mozambique. through expansion, In the coming years, We Care Solar will serve over 150 million community members and directly serve 30 million mothers and newborns.
This AtlasDaughters cohort will have the opportunity to collectively fund a $1M investment, which will support safe motherhood in 250 health facilities in key target countries, directly serving 750,000 mothers and newborns with the gift of light and life. The program will uplift community health care for a population of 3.75 million and provide support for years of sustainable programming.
Equipping each clinic with a Solar Suitcase means:
Mothers will no longer deliver in darkness,
Midwives and nurses will be able to diagnose and treat mothers without delay,
Deliveries and c-sections will be conducted safely throughout the night,
Newborns will receive proper care, and
Health workers will no longer fear night duties.
