On 10 May 2025, the Menopause Safari Tanzania Program launched a Swahili book titled "Safari ya Ukomo wa Hedhi" (The Menopause Journey), authored by Aloisia Shemdoe Mhingo, a public health researcher and former Ifakara Health Institute employee. Several Ifakara staff showed their support at the event.

This powerful book brings to light an often-overlooked chapter in women's lives—menopause. Drawing from her personal journey and professional expertise, Aloisia writes to foster understanding and break the silence around the physical and emotional changes women experience during this transition.

The book was launched by the guest of honor, Angella Kairuki, Advisor to the President of the United Republic of Tanzania and Chairperson of the National Advisory and Coordinating Committee on the Generation Equality Forum.

Kairuki urged stakeholders to ensure that awareness about menopause reaches every woman in Tanzania. She commended the author for choosing to write the book in Swahili—the national language—highlighting that this makes the book accessible to all.

She further called on stakeholders in the room to invest in both online and offline efforts to spread this education, stating, “No woman should be left behind.”

Representing Ifakara at the event was Donat Shamba, who in an interview with ITV emphasized the need for researchers to invest more time in studying menopause, noting that it contains critical issues of public welfare. Doris Rushekya, Ifakara’s Human Resources and Administration Manager, also expressed interest in seeing menopause education reach the workplace, saying it could foster better work relationships if all staff are aware of the challenges associated with this natural phase.

“Menopause arrives quietly, but it leaves a profound impact on the body, emotions, and relationships,” Aloisia told Martha Saranga of the BBC in a recent interview in Dar es Salaam. After experiencing memory lapses and emotional changes herself, she began researching the topic—only to realize how rarely it was openly discussed in society. “I told myself; I can’t write about exercise and not practice it. I had to start living what I was teaching.” Her aim is to educate both women and men.

In one instance, she recalled a Christian gathering in Tanzania where men privately shared how confused they had been by their wives’ emotional changes—only to later realize they lacked basic knowledge about menopause. “Many men told me they didn’t know these were normal changes, not new behavior or disrespect,” she explained.

With Safari ya Ukomo wa Hedhi, Aloisia hopes to encourage open dialogue and better support systems for women going through this natural phase. “Menopause is not the end of life—it’s the beginning of a new chapter, full of challenges and opportunities,” she said.

Ifakara was honored to be part of this important book launch and the wider conversation it represented—shining light on a deeply personal yet commonly silent struggle faced by women everywhere.