Book IWD Speaker: Jackline Chris

Jackline Christopher Mjema, professionally known as Jackline Chris, is an award-winning Tanzanian communications specialist, author, filmmaker and social entrepreneur dedicated to advancing education, mental health and marine conservation. Through strategic communication, storytelling and community-centred innovation, she champions solutions that empower individuals, expand access to knowledge and contribute to sustainable development.

She is the visionary founder of Power of Sentence, a platform established in 2019 to advance preventative mental health awareness, self-identity, resilience and personal empowerment through storytelling and community engagement. The initiative has reached more than 3,400 people, creating spaces for reflection, dialogue and personal growth. Driven by her vision of building an ecosystem of preventative mental health in Tanzania, Jackline advocates for accessible, community-based approaches that equip young people and communities with tools to strengthen their wellbeing before challenges escalate.

As co-founder of Beta Komiks Afrika, an educational technology (EdTech) company, Jackline champions innovative approaches to making Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education engaging, culturally relevant and accessible to children in underserved communities. Through technology-enabled learning tools, the initiative seeks to connect education with children’s lived experiences and inspire curiosity, creativity and problem-solving.

Jackline is also an accomplished author whose creative works explore identity, empowerment, health and the intersection of human experiences with emerging technology. The Hundred Sentences and The Words That Follow explore identity and personal empowerment through uniquely crafted sentences. The Amnesia examines the effects of amnesia through the story of Liam, a successful businessman in the timber industry, while All the Colors I See explores autism spectrum experiences and the potential of artificial intelligence in healthcare through Philomena, a talented orphan child. Her work reflects her commitment to using creative storytelling to make complex and often overlooked subjects more relatable and accessible.

In marine conservation, Jackline leads ServingWaters Initiative, a community-centred initiative that mobilises people to protect coastal ecosystems while promoting environmental awareness and community ownership. Through collaborative beach clean-ups, mangrove restoration and public engagement, she demonstrates how grassroots leadership can inspire collective environmental responsibility while supporting sustainable coastal livelihoods.

Professionally, Jackline contributes to development communication through her work with BRAC Maendeleo Tanzania, where she supports the communication of development impact, strengthens stakeholder engagement, amplifies community voices and builds the capacity of programme teams to tell compelling, human-centred stories. She has championed storytelling and photography capacity-building initiatives that have equipped more than 190 programme staff, journalists and grassroots organisation leaders with practical skills to document development outcomes and communicate stories of change.

At the heart of Jackline’s leadership is the conviction that people can transform their circumstances when given the opportunity, knowledge and confidence to recognise their potential. She combines strategic thinking with practical action, bringing together communication, education, mental health advocacy and environmental conservation to address interconnected social challenges.

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