Collaborating For Change: Listening, Learning and Leading With Pamoja Women

Khadija Ali is the Executive Director of the Pamoja Women organization, in addition to proudly serving as a Uterine Cancer Ambassador at Mayo Clinic. Pamoja Women, with the word Pamoja meaning “united” in Swahili, is a woman-led non-profit organization on a mission to “empower women and girls of East African heritage by providing a dynamic platform to address their unique challenges, foster meaningful interests, and unlock boundless opportunities.”

This organization proudly serves immigrant, refugee, and multicultural families who often face language, cultural, and other barriers to health education. Khadija’s experience in both roles has given her the opportunity to lead outreach efforts and help to build awareness about early cancer detection and screening among women.

In collaboration with Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center's Office of Community Outreach and Engagement (COE), Pamoja Women hosts a peer-to-peer cancer prevention program called Friend-to-Friend. During the event's programming, Mayo Clinic experts provide information on breast, cervical, and uterine cancer prevention, ensuring the information is culturally relevant and accessible.

Khadija's desire to collaborate with Mayo Clinic grew from a shared vision of advancing health outcomes and improving access to preventive care for females in the community. Collaborating with Mayo Clinic allowed Khadija and her team to bring valuable health information into the spaces where women feel most comfortable and heard.

But Friend-to-Friend isn't the only collaboration with Mayo Clinic, there are multiple impactful initiatives, including participating in the Photo Voice study with Rochester Health and Communities Partnership and Community Health Assessment and Improvement Measures Program (CHAMP) research with Jissy Cyriac, M.D., M.S. Khadija shares that these collaborations have been transformative for both Pamoja Women and the families they serve. The partnership with Dr. Cyriac and the CHAMP research project has also allowed community voices to shape health research and program design. Together, Pamoja Women and Mayo Clinic help ensure that education, outreach, and research reach the people who need it the most.

When asked to describe a moment during one of the events or focus groups that felt especially meaningful and transformative, Khadija recalled an experience from a Friend-to-Friend session. During this particular session, a participant shared that she had avoided medical appointments for years because she felt afraid and misunderstood. After hearing Khadija speak as a Mayo Clinic Uterine Cancer Ambassador and learning about early detection, the participant said, “I finally feel like someone understands me—and now I have the courage to take care of my health.”

Khadija added, “that it is moments like these that remind us why this collaboration matters. When education is delivered through trust, compassion, and cultural understanding, it doesn’t just inform—it transforms lives.”

When it comes to hopes for the future for this collaboration, Khadija explains that Pamoja Women hope to continue expanding their efforts with Mayo Clinic to reach even more women and families across southeastern Minnesota. They are especially interested in expanding education and research around maternal health, mental wellness, and chronic disease prevention. Khadija stated, "Our long-term vision is to develop community-led health education models where women are not only participants, but also peer educators and advocates, building a sustainable cycle of health knowledge and empowerment”.

To date, the Friend-To-Friend cancer prevention series has educated over 200 people on breast cancer, cervical cancer, uterine cancer, and pancreatic cancer.

For other community organizations looking to build meaningful partnerships with academic or healthcare institutions, Khadija advises to “start with authentic relationships. Partnerships thrive when they are built on trust, shared values, and respect for each other’s expertise. Community organizations bring cultural knowledge and trusted connections, while institutions like Mayo Clinic bring scientific and clinical expertise. When both sides listen, learn, and lead together, the impact reaches far beyond a single project—it changes how communities experience health and healing.”