MICHAEL ELIAS PANDISHA

I am a passionate and results-driven communications and development professional with over a decade of experience designing and delivering impactful community-centered programs. My passion for communication was ignited at Loyola High School under the Jesuit Fathers, where I received rigorous training in language and storytelling. This passion evolved into a career amplifying community voices through roles in local and international NGOs, where I applied strategic communications, stakeholder engagement, project coordination, and resource mobilization to address critical social and environmental issues. My work has spanned diverse contexts—from leading land rights campaigns, commercial farming, climate adaptation and conservation initiatives to crafting powerful donor messages and managing multi-stakeholder programs in rural and urban Tanzania. I bring a strong ability to design communication strategies, manage donor relationships, coordinate teams, and mobilize resources for impact. I combine creative storytelling, strategic thinking, and evidence-based advocacy to influence change across sectors.

• Faced with limited public awareness and policy dialogue on land tenure and human settlement rights, I led the design and execution of a nationwide communication strategy to promote secure land access, adequate and affordable housing. My efforts contributed to the successful engagement of local leaders in dialogues on land reform and raised public consciousness around inclusive urban development.
• In a context where community conservation efforts required greater youth and local participation, I led campaigns that integrated traditional storytelling with modern messaging. I developed outreach materials, coordinated youth clubs, and organized stakeholder meetings. This strategy increased school engagement in environmental education programs by 40% and attracted new funding for village-based conservation work.
• Tasked with enhancing market access and food safety in the dairy sector, I coordinated a donor-funded project supporting local dairy processors resulting in improved compliance with national standards and helped position small processors for broader market integration.
• To tackle fundraising gaps for child-focused interventions in rural Tanzania, I developed a donor engagement package, including impact stories, multimedia content, and tailored proposals. As a result, our team secured additional funding and improved donor retention through emotionally resonant reporting.
• As part of my commitment to fusing creativity with social impact, I authored a full-length stage play titled The Fires of Tomorrow: When Crisis Ignites Change (2025). Set in a fictional Tanzanian village, the play uses poetic dialogue and grounded community voices to dramatize environmental themes such as adaptation, green energy, and gender inclusion. It is now being used as an educational tool for students and local theatres. Notably, I authored Pathways to Prosperity (2024) – A stage play to increase youth engagement in conservation initiatives.
• Earlier, in 2005, I was selected as a finalist in the Ford Foundation’s Student Voices Project for my play The Lost Glory, which voiced student concerns over inadequate infrastructure in Tanzanian universities.

• Paul Cowles, Chief of Party, JGI Tanzania, Pcowles@janegoodall.or.tz, +260 973 966 256, +255 754 320 709
• Dr. Samwel Kikaro, Program Manager, SolidarMed International, S.Kikaro@solidarmed.com, +255 756 781 387, +255 784 746 515
• Dr. Kelvin Mathayo, Senior Lecturer, University of Dar es Salaam, kamugalo@yahoo.co.uk, +255 718 466 118

• The Art of Storytelling | JGI USA
• Social Media for Wider Influence | JGI USA
• Media Relations & Safeguarding | JGI USA
• Videography & Narrative Techniques | World Vision Kenya
• Use of Media for Public Policy Advocacy | University of Dar es Salaam
• Creative Research Methods Using Arts | Makerere University
• Advanced Project Reporting | MIST College
• Fundraising & Resource Mobilization | MIST College