Mopane leadership retreat 2025

In a year marked by funding freezes, shrinking civic space, and quiet exhaustion across the sector, the Leaders’ Experience Wellness Retreat at Country Lake Resort, Garuga (2025) offered something rare: permission for leaders to pause, breathe, and come home to themselves. Over four days, participants unplugged from their gadgets and titles and reconnected to their bodies, stories, and inner landscapes through ritual, movement, fire-side release, and deep conversation. They explored what it means to hold both power and powerlessness, journeyed through the rainbow energy centres, named the “thieves of joy” they carry, and reclaimed wellness as a revolutionary act rather than a luxury. What emerged was a shared conviction that a well leader is a wiser, more grounded leader, and that rest, therapy, and community rituals are not optional add-ons but core to sustainable leadership.

Read more: Unplugged – Reflections from the Leaders’ Experience Wellness Retreat.

In October this year, CivSource Africa and CivLegacy Foundation facilitated a wellness experience and board induction at the serene Beauvias (Buve) retreat centre for a group of human rights defenders. What began as a formal induction evolved into a deeper realization: governance and wellness are inseparable. Participants reflected on the idea of “two partners – one team”: the individual who gives and the collective that carries the mission. The retreat affirmed that when leaders are exhausted, organizations suffer, and when institutions lose alignment, individuals burn out. By creating space for stillness, reflection, and shared humanity, the session reframed governance as a practice that must be fueled by well-being, not just policies.

Read more about how wellness is shaping a new leadership culture in our ecosystem.

What does it mean to truly come home to yourself?
At the CivLegacy Africa Wellness Experience Retreat, framed around the theme “Reflect, Recharge, Rejuvenate,” participants stepped away from routine and discovered the power of pausing. Through honest reflection, gentle practices, and shared connection, the retreat offered a sacred space to listen inward, redefine power, and embrace healing as a lifelong journey. What emerged was not just rest but realignment, a reminder that well-being is the foundation of leadership, growth, and service.

“I am exactly as I am.”

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What happens when we pause long enough to listen to ourselves?
At the recent CivSource Africa OD Retreat in Masulita, participants discovered that the journey to impactful work begins with inner alignment. Surrounded by nature’s calm, the retreat blended movement, music, and meaningful dialogue to remind us that well-being is not separate from our work; it is its foundation. From yoga at sunrise to reflective outdoor sessions and the warmth of shared stories, every moment became a lesson in balance, authenticity, and purpose. As we return to our daily routines, we carry not just strategies but a renewed spirit for service.

“To serve others effectively, we must first nurture our own heart and spirit.”

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What if transitions, instead of being chaotic, could be intentional, supported, and strategic?

The Mopane Leadership Program’s 2024 Transition Grants explored exactly this, partnering with three diverse actors, Vessel Is Me, Queen’s Cottage, and Makerere University’s School of Psychology, to map out how grief, personal pivots, and institutional realignments can become opportunities for resilience and renewal. From developing a healing-centered transition toolkit, to guiding a founder through reimagined baton-passing, to crafting a first-ever research agenda, these journeys showed that while change is inevitable, chaos is not. With structure, support, and shared light, transitions become pathways of possibility and blueprints for others navigating similar terrain.

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This experience reminded us that wellness is not a luxury; it’s a leadership imperative. A well leader is a wise leader, and in caring for ourselves, we become better equipped to care for our communities. Let this be your invitation to pause, reflect, and reclaim your inner fire.

Read the full retreat reflection and explore how you too can lead from a place of strength, stillness, and self-awareness.
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The Journey to Inner Peace and Healing!

In a world that rarely pauses, Asiimwe Allen and Grace Kabatangare found powerful lessons at an Inner Peace and Healing retreat, discovering that true transformation begins when we stop, breathe, and listen. From letting go of multitasking to nurturing our thoughts, honoring our bodies, and setting intentions over rigid expectations, the experience revealed that healing is a return to wholeness and self-compassion. Their reflections remind us that meaning lies in life’s simplest joys and that embracing presence can transform how we live, love, and lead.

Do you want to reflect on how this might resonate with your own path?

Read more and be inspired.

#InnerPeace #HealingJourney #MindfulLiving #SelfCare #MentalHealthMatters #PersonalGrowth #LiveWithIntention #EmotionalWellbeing #PauseAndBreathe