About Yanano Health

Carnation Zhuwaki

“I am fortunate to have a career that aligns with my values and purpose.

I am a bantu woman who was born and nurtured in Zimbabwe. I moved to Canada in 2000 for post- secondary education. I hold a Bachelor of Nursing Degree and an MBA. My experience includes critical care, emergency and remote nursing and most recently a formal role in advocacy for health equity for Indigenous Peoples. Outside of work I enjoy traveling, reading and learning homesteading skills.

I knew with certainty from the time I could pick a career that I wanted to be a physician and that desire did not waver until life circumstances made a choice for me. My desire to be a physician was to provide care in underserved communities in my country of birth as well as here in Canada. That desire was fuelled by the staggering statistics related to preventable injury, disability or death that could have been prevented with a strong health promotion and primary care focus. Although I did not end up becoming a physician, the journey that life has taken me has equipped me to still promote health and give a voice to people in marginalized communities and “I am fortunate to have a career that aligns with my values and purpose.”

Munesu Gazi

I immigrated to Canada in 2007 after living and working in the United Kingdom as a healthcare assistant while I pursued my Accounting designation. I had a passion for working in healthcare, but I felt I was too far in my career to change. I went on to work as an accountant for 9 years, but I was unhappy and unfulfilled.

In 2014, I lost my brother and my mother 3 weeks apart as a result of a non-functional health emergency system and poor primary care respectively. In my grief, I began to dream of health equity. A year later, I lost my accounting job and with an awkward sense of relief, I went on to sign up for nursing school. I worked in rural nursing during the pandemic and became more certain that I would like to be one who promotes opportunities for health equity.

On my assignments, I worked with so many different healthcare professionals, and with a heartbeat, I realized what kind of a health professional I wanted to be. I decided to be one to make impactful changes even though my tenure at a place was short-term. I realized that if I built relationships with clients, staff, and family members, my practice would be more meaningful.

Long, dreary work experiences were just not for me. I realized meaningful work encounters brought so much fulfillment to me. I began to purposefully advocate for meaningful changes wherever I went as a rural nurse. As a co-founder of Yanano, the Yanano philosophy provides a platform for me to be intentional about my practice.