About GEMBA
Grounded in where systems meet people.
GEMBA is a practitioner-led public health and development organisation established to help institutions turn evidence into practical, community-rooted action. We connect public health, research, strategic communication, governance and implementation support to strengthen access, public systems and frontline delivery.
Our name
The real place where change must work.
'Gemba' means the real or actual place where work happens and value is created.
For us, that place is where communities live, public services are delivered and frontline decisions are made. It is where policy, evidence and operating reality meet - and where better access must be built before impact can be measured.
GEMBA is grounded in that real place: where evidence must become access, and access must enable meaningful impact.
Our purpose
Bridging intent and frontline reality.
Strong policy intent and sound programme design do not always translate into services that are coordinated, accessible or easy to use. Gaps can emerge between evidence and decisions, strategy and execution, communication and behaviour, and institutions and communities.
GEMBA was established to help bridge these gaps by bringing public health, research, governance, strategic communication and field-implementation thinking into one connected approach.
Our purpose is to support practical action that works with existing public and frontline systems, responds to context and keeps equitable access at the centre.
How the idea took shape
Built from experience across systems and communities.
Across their respective professional journeys, GEMBA's founders worked at the intersection of public systems and community realities - in public health, research, field operations, governance, communication and multi-stakeholder programme support.
That experience repeatedly highlighted a practical challenge: institutions may have evidence, intent and resources, yet still need stronger connections between decisions, workflows, frontline teams and the people services are meant to reach.
GEMBA Access and Impact Foundation was established in 2024 to bring these perspectives together in one public-purpose institution. The organisation is designed to develop grounded, evidence-informed support around how systems actually operate and how access can be strengthened.
The experience underlying GEMBA's founding perspective was gained by its leaders through their respective professional assignments. It is not presented as work contractually undertaken by GEMBA.
What we are working towards
Vision
Equitable and resilient public systems that enable every community, especially underserved populations, to access essential health and development services and achieve better wellbeing.
Mission
To turn evidence into practical action by supporting governments, development institutions and communities through research, programme design, implementation support, strategic communication and systems strengthening that improve access and enable measurable, sustainable impact.
What guides our work
Five principles for practical, responsible support.
These principles describe how GEMBA intends to approach assignments and collaborations. They are commitments for practice, not claims of outcomes already achieved.
Ground work in delivery reality
Begin with the context in which institutions, frontline workers and communities operate - including the constraints, incentives, relationships and routines that shape delivery.
Design evidence for action
Generate and interpret evidence with a clear line to decisions, programme choices, communication, workflows and implementation.
Strengthen existing systems
Work with public and frontline structures wherever possible, avoiding unnecessary parallel mechanisms and supporting institutional ownership.
Connect strategy with frontline use
Translate policy and programme intent into practical approaches that can be understood, adopted and used by the people responsible for delivery.
Measure responsibly and learn
Define realistic measures, protect the integrity of evidence and use learning to adapt - without overstating attribution, reach or impact.
Public-purpose and accountable
Established for public benefit.
GEMBA Access and Impact Foundation was incorporated on 28 August 2024 as a company limited by guarantee and licensed under Section 8 of the Companies Act, 2013. The organisation is based in Danapur, Patna, Bihar, India.
| Field | Approved public information |
|---|---|
| Registered legal name | GEMBA Access and Impact Foundation |
| Public name | GEMBA |
| Organisation type | Section 8 not-for-profit company limited by guarantee |
| Incorporated | 28 August 2024 |
| Registered location | Danapur, Patna, Bihar, India |
From purpose to practice
Connected capabilities for stronger access and delivery.
GEMBA brings together five complementary areas of support: Public Health & Health Systems; Research, Assessments & Evidence; SBCC & Strategic Communication; Governance & Digital Transformation; and Programme Implementation & Field Operations.
These capabilities can be shaped individually or combined around an institution's programme, study, communication, governance or implementation requirement.
Work with GEMBA
Start with the challenge. Shape a grounded way forward.
GEMBA welcomes conversations with government, development, research and philanthropic institutions seeking evidence-informed, context-responsive support - whether for a programme, study, public-system challenge, strategic communication need or consortium opportunity.