Wisdom from Zimbabwe, A Conversation with Dr. Loveness Makonese

Loveness Makonese is an academic, humanitarian and development practitioner with more than 15 years’ experience. Her work has specialized in Gender, Emergency health, Resilience building, social protection, inclusion and participation, nutrition, HIV and AIDS. She has special expertise in programme design, implementation, evaluation, knowledge management and Joint UN resource mobilization and partnership management. She is currently Deputy Representative for UN Women Zimbabwe. Throughout her career Loveness has worked for United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the Zimbabwe Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Health, CARE International, Institute of Land, Poverty and Agrarian Studies, Goal International, Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN(FAO), International Fund for Agricultural Development (Smallholder Irrigation) Zimbabwe. Loveness has also provided consulting services for Rebel Advisory Group Better Schools project in Zimbabwe, International Organization for Migration, Zimbabwe Women Resource Network Centre, and research on Gender, Cultural and Social Dynamics of Corruption for Transparency International Zimbabwe. She is a published researcher and author. She has a PhD in Sociology from Rhodes University in South Africa (2013), MPhil in Land and Agrarian Studies from the University of Western Cape in South Africa (2007) and a BSc Degree in Sociology from University of Zimbabwe. She is also a qualified and certified trauma and family counsellor from Connect Zimbabwe.