Happy new year! For us at Endeva, 2025 was a year of taking root through deepening our work in Germany. In 2026, we look forward to growing our system innovation work both at home and internationally.

After 18 years of work in low-income economies and almost a decade in facilitating system innovation, we felt it’s time to bring our work closer to home. After all, there is plenty of transformation to support in Germany, where we are based. We also realized that supporting system innovation is more like cultivating a tree: it takes time, patience, presence. We want to be there to support system change initiatives come rain or shine. We’ll continue to expand our network and deepen our relationships in Germany so we can better curate collaboration for system change. This “homecoming” has worked remarkably well, with several projects in 2025 that will continue this year. At the same time, we continue our work in Africa and Asia as always, with locally embedded experts and facilitators who bring their own networks and knowledge of place and the same passion to support change.

Taking root and growing from there

“Taking root and growing from there” is our image for this moment. Thanks to Anja von Klitzing, we can share this year’s reflection image of a tree with deep roots, a strong trunk and a reaching crown, inviting you to pause and ask:

• What are your roots and how do you become more rooted?
• What is your core and your unique contribution?
• Where do you want to grow, and where is your sunlight?

We invite you to reflect and share your own perspective with us on what the reflection image brings up for you.

Dig in with Us

Looking ahead to 2026, we are excited to grow from these roots and our strong core through:

• Building capacity for system innovation by continuing our System Innovation Book journey, growing Systems Practice Berlin and cultivating system innovation trainings like the Erasmus+ training for community catalyzers;
• Supporting diverse organizations in developing theories of change through our system innovation processes;
• Facilitating system innovation initiatives with our ii2030 methodology with the Munich Financing Facility, through our work with the alv foundation on fostering social-emotional thriving of children in Germany, and fostering partnerships for the energy transition through Komm:Transform; and
• Enabling continuous learning and generative evaluation, as in our work with the Millers for Nutrition coalition and supporting ethnic minority women in agricultural supply chains in Vietnam.

We invite you to dig in with us, whether by engaging in our projects, joining our upcoming activities or simply reaching out for a conversation. Because real system change doesn’t happen alone; it grows where people feel rooted, connected and part of something larger.

Warmly,

Christina Tewes-Gradl, Dr. Aline Menden, Christian Pirzer and the Endeva team