Maji Ya Chai Land Sanctuary

This was our first full fiscal year with the physical site, a 40-acre farmstead located ten minutes west of Two Harbors, MN & Gichigaming (Lake Superior). During this year we began learning about the land, how to steward the land & what that entails. Winter was a steep learning curve as it was the snowiest winter on record for Two Harbors. Much of our spending went into costs related to the operations & upkeep of the land and buildings currently on it. Our budget increased given the site-related expenses & increased staffing & programming. We brought on our first full time employee, our Founder & Keeper of the Vision (Executive Director), & brought on a payroll company to handle payments & taxes for the full time Keeper of the Vision & half time Sanctuary Administrator. We hired our first administrator on a half time contract. We hired our first land operations director on a half time contract. We contracted with a Resource Consultant to further our fundraising efforts & we contracted with our Real Estate Development Specialist for continued guidance on the process of building the sanctuary. Progress was made as we moved ahead with site planning & studies for site development. We began meetings with our lead architect & her team. We began a partnership with Watershed Spa in Minneapolis - offered monthly BIPOC-only bathing sessions March-September, they will continue. We partnered with Men As Peacemakers to hold the inaugural story circle for BIPOC individuals living in the Twin Ports/NE Minnesota region (April 2023). The story circles engage community members in envisioning the possibilities that Maji ya Chai Land Sanctuary can & will offer for people & communities now and for generations to come.We were included as a highlighted organization/partner of Collective Acceleration - an international network of people & organizations moving with collective inquiry: As the world experiences an era of unprecedented change, we are called upon to engage in purposeful endeavors to activate the capacities, skills, practices, & relationships needed to pivot our culture, governance, & systems towards collective thriving. Maji ya Chai was featured in the Superior Hiking Trail Newsletter, which helped to introduce us to neighbors & residents in Northeast Minnesota.