Zani Wowapi
Zani Wowapi is a sovereign health data management system and electronic health record built for Indigenous-led treatment programs and cultural healing centers. It is designed for organizations that blend clinical care with culture, ceremony, and community support, and need software that respects those realities.
Instead of forcing programs into one-size-fits-all corporate templates, Zani Wowapi adapts to each organization’s own workflows, language, and reporting requirements—so staff can focus on healing work, not fighting their tools.
How Zani Wowapi Fits Together
Client & Program Workflows
Zani Wowapi supports residential and outpatient treatment workflows, cultural programming, and follow-up care. Staff can record intakes, services, groups, safety plans, and other encounters in a way that reflects how the program actually operates.
Backend & Database
A Django-based backend with a PostgreSQL database stores health information securely, with encryption-at-rest, access controls, and audit logging. The backend handles user roles, form logic, reporting, and integration points with other systems where needed.
Staff & Administration Tools
Counselors, case managers, cultural staff, and administrators access Zani Wowapi through a web-based interface. Each role sees the tools they need: client charts, service documentation, census views, program rosters, and basic performance indicators.
Reporting & Exports
Zani Wowapi supports configurable reports for internal tracking, grant reporting, and billing exports. Data can be summarized by program, time period, service type, and other filters, helping programs tell their own story without depending on external vendors.
Key Features
For Programs
- Support for residential, outpatient, and cultural programming workflows
- Customizable forms for intakes, assessments, services, and safety planning
- Program census views and rosters that reflect how clients actually move through care
- Reporting tools for grants, oversight, and internal decision-making
- Options for local hosting to support data sovereignty and control
For Staff & Clinicians
- Role-based access for counselors, case managers, cultural staff, and administrators
- Client charts with timelines of services, notes, and documents
- Support for documenting individual, group, and cultural services
- Secure file uploads for consents, referrals, and other protected documents
- Interfaces designed for clarity and ease of use, including low-bandwidth environments
Custom Forms & Workflows
Every program has its own way of doing things: different ceremonies, groups, assessments, treatment tracks, and reporting needs. Zani Wowapi is built around that reality instead of ignoring it.
Form tools and workflows are custom-built for each organization. During implementation, we work with program staff to map how information moves through their program—what needs to be captured, who needs to see it, and how it should show up in reports. The result is a system that follows the program’s own logic, rather than asking the program to bend to a generic EHR template.
This approach supports both cultural and clinical work: programs can include fields, language, and structures that reflect their own teachings and practices alongside the documentation required by funders and regulators.
Technical Philosophy
Zani Wowapi is built with clear, maintainable code and a straightforward architecture: Django for the application layer and PostgreSQL for data storage. Encryption-at-rest, role-based access control, and audit trails are treated as baseline requirements rather than add-ons.
Where possible, the system is designed to be self-hostable on hardware controlled by the organization, with the option for managed hosting when in-house infrastructure is not available. We avoid unnecessary dependencies, opaque vendor services, and patterns that make programs reliant on a single company to keep operating.
The goal is simple: provide a system that is understandable, supportable, and aligned with the program’s own values, instead of a black box that can only be modified by outside vendors.
Implementation & Deployment
Zani Wowapi is implemented through a collaborative build process. Each deployment starts with listening: understanding how the program works, what information it needs to track, and what it must report to funders, boards, and community leadership.
The system can be deployed on servers managed by the organization or hosted by Hidden Sector Software, depending on infrastructure and staffing. In both cases, the organization retains ownership of its data and can export it in standard formats.
Pricing is based on the scope of customization, the number of programs or sites involved, and hosting and support needs. We provide clear, up-front estimates; there are no per-user “seat” licenses or hidden add-on fees.
Typical Project Flow
- Initial consultation and program/workflow review
- Form and report definition with program leadership and staff
- Backend configuration and custom form/workflow development
- Data migration planning (if coming from an existing system)
- Pilot phase with a limited set of staff and clients
- Full rollout, staff training, and ongoing support
Getting Started
To learn more about Zani Wowapi, request a demonstration, or discuss a potential implementation for your program, please contact us through the contact page. We work directly with directors, clinical leads, cultural staff, and IT teams to design deployments that respect both cultural practice and regulatory requirements.