During her career, Betty Makoni has played a key leadership role in numerous efforts of global, regional, national, and local importance. Her efforts have earned her more than 30  prestigious awards and honors.

Betty has designed strategies that directly eliminate gender based violence such as harmful cultural practices that fuel the spread of HIV and AIDS among girls and since 1999 over 70 000 girls who have fallen victim to child sexual abuse have been assisted to realize their potential as future women leaders.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Chief Executive Officer of Girl Child Network Worldwide, 19 January 2009 to date

Betty Makoni  documented  and organized all the information produced on the success  and effectiveness of GCN Empowerment Model in dealing with sexual  and domestic violence and continues to share it broadly with like-minded people in UK and worldwide. She believes that  GCN’s invaluable educational and empowerment model must spread across the globe.

Betty Makoni has experience, knowledge, skills and experience in designing proactive programs that support girls’ education, combat violence against girls and support empowerment of girls in all spheres of home, school and community. Through the Girl Child Network Worldwide,   she has mobilised human and financial resources to ensure effective programs to support girls education, combat gender based violence and empower girls to reach their potential are in place. Since 2009, Betty Makoni has worked in UK as Chief Executive Officer of Girl Child Network Worldwide and carries out the following duties:

  • Trust Administration and Support — Supports operations and administration of Board by advising and informing Trustees, interfacing between Trustees and staff
  • Program, Product and Service Delivery — Oversees design, marketing, promotion, delivery and quality of programs, products and services
  • Financial, Tax, Risk and Facilities Management
  • Recommends yearly budget for Trustees approval and prudently manages organization’s resources within those budget guidelines according to current laws and regulations
  • Human Resource Management — Effectively manages the human resources of the organization according to authorized personnel policies and procedures that fully conform to current laws and regulations
  • Community and Public Relations — Assures the organization and its mission, programs, products and services are consistently presented in strong, positive image to relevant stakeholders
  • Fundraising (non profit-specific) — Oversees fundraising planning and implementation, including identifying resource requirements, researching funding sources, establishing strategies to approach funders, submitting proposals and administrating fundraising records and documentation
  • Implementation of  the strategic goals and objectives of the organization
  • With the chair, enable the Board to fulfil its governance function
  • Gives direction and leadership toward the achievement of the organization’s philosophy, mission, strategy, and its annual goals and objectives
  • Designs educational and prevention of gender based programs for Girl Child Networks in Africa who are implementing the Girl Child Empowerment Model.

Executive Director and Founder, Girl Child Network, 1998 to 2008

Betty Makoni built spaces for girls

Betty Makoni has played a leadership role in creating a dynamic multi global award winner organisation whose empowerment model for women and girls was recently profiled by University of Essex, United Kingdom as best practice  for replication. She founded an organisation with progressive programs, strong grassroots partners, 700 girls’ clubs, an active board, effective staff, 200 supportive volunteers, 20 funding partners, and participation by 300,000 girls around Zimbabwe. She ensured the mainstreaming of gender and HIV/AIDS issues into all programs targeting girls and communities. Specific accomplishments include the following:

  • Responsible for fundraising for the annual budget of US $1.2 million for GCN. Since 1999, she has identified locally based and international funding partners as well as long term funding partners including Stephen Lewis Foundation, Netherlands Organization for international Development Co-operation (Novib), Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), Pacific Institute for Women’s Health, International Development Exchange (IDEX), Firelight Foundation, Global Fund for Women, United States of America Embassy, India Arts (USA), Whole Child Initiative, Global Catalyst, Women World Summit Foundation (WWSF), Zimbabwe Appeal Fund (UK), Urgent Action Fund for Women’s Rights (USA), Oxfam GB, Egmont Trust, Royal Netherlands Embassy, UNICEF, European Commission, and Medica Mondiale.
  • Provided feedback and guidance on the appropriateness of proposed policies within the organisation’s mission, vision and values. She has assisted GCN in the development of the Accounting and Procedures Manual, Personnel Policy, HIV/AIDS At The Workplace Policy, Safe house policy for Girls Empowerment Villages and Volunteer Policy.
    • Betty Makoni has facilitated a leadership transition in Girl Child Network (GCN), founded in 1998 in Zimbabwe. Her role as policy advisor and mentor serves to ensure that the mission and vision of GCN remain on track and that GCN continues as a star organisation in championing the rights of girls in Zimbabwe and worldwide.  She offers mentorship and leadership training programs for the young women who are taking over the leadership of the organisation.  She trains her staff in project design; planning, implementation and evaluation; and how to mainstream gender, HIV and AIDS, and human rights in GCN programs.
    • Betty Makoni worked with a project that supported girls education with Ministry of Education, UNICEF and many global partners. Over 300 000 girls from marginalised areas of Zimbabwe and many parts of Africa  successfully became leaders in various fields.

    Highlights and accomplishments of her other consultancy work include the following:

    • Gender Based Violence Expert for Preveting Sexual Violence UK Gender expert team –September 2012 to date
    • Lead consultant for FORWARD UK women and girls leadership and empowerment training -2007 to date
    • Pan African Institute on Sexual Violence Consultant -2009
    • Served as the Stephen Lewis Foundation representative in Africa, which offers monitoring and evaluation consultancy services to more than 165 grantee partners in Africa prior to and after funding.
    • Member of Oxfam Novib Round Table, 2007 to 2010, advising on gender based violence policy.
    • Member of UNAIDS Reference Group, which functions as a policy advisory board and draws international experts. Betty Makoni is a member of the Geneva UNAIDS reference group and offers policy advice on HIV/AIDS and gender-2007 to 2011
    • Co-founder member of Africa Gender Monitor based in South Africa, which monitors how governments implement various international legal instruments such as the AU Protocol on women’s rights, CEDAW and the SADC Gender Protocol.
    • In partnership with Oxfam Intermon, spearheaded the sexual violence in war torn Sudan. She facilitated the establishment of the Women Empowerment Group in Sudan.
    • Trainer for UK Based FORWARD with nine partners in six African countries that are trying to adopt the Girl Child Empowerment Model.
    • In 2006, Gerude Private Limited, in Zimbabwe subcontracted Betty Makoni who by then was working under Muzvare Betty Makoni Consultancy Services to facilitate a national gender mainstreaming assessment and training for over 40 artists groups in Zimbabwe. This project was funded by the Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA). Since then there has been great success on gender sensitive quality production of music, drama and television programs by Zimbabwe’s Top artists and groups.
    • Facilitator at NPA, Southern African Regional Conference on Violence against Women Thematic Group. Johannesburg, South Africa, May 2006.
    • Facilitator at Gender, HIV/AIDS and Human Rights Awareness Workshop for artists. SIDA-funded CRAZZI Project, subcontracted by Gerude Pvt Limited.  Mandel Training Centre (June 2006).
    • Training on Virginity Testing in relation to Human Rights and Myths Associated With Eradication of HIV/AIDS at the Mainstreaming of CEDAW, Gender and Human Rights into HIV/AIDS Policies and Interventions organised by UNIFEM, Bulawayo (July 2003)

OTHER HONORS AND RESPONSIBILITIES

  • International Guest Program Scholarship at the International Center for Tolerance Education in New York, USA (January 1-March 30, 2007).
  • Zimbabwe’s Global Call against Poverty (GCAP) Ambassador for 2006.
  • Founder of two grassroots associations for women, which have been instrumental in building women’s movements including Ray of Hope (a network of domestic violence and rape survivors based in Zimbabwe), Grassroots Organisations Operating Together in Sisterhood (GROOTS Zimbabwe) and an affiliate of GROOTS INTERNATIONAL based in New York, US.
  • International Advocate for the Violence against Women Bill of the US Congress in partnership with Amnesty International. Personally invited to testify by the newly elected Vice President of the US, Joe Biden, Betty Makoni was the only woman nominated from Africa to give testimony on violence against women in conflict situations.
  • In Zimbabwe, the AU Protocol on women’s rights was ratified during her two-year leadership of the Women’s Coalition of Zimbabwe from 2006 to 2008.
  • International Scholarship, XVI International Aids Conference by the International AIDS Society, Toronto Canada (August 2006).
  • Women World Summit, Switzerland, established the annual Betty Makoni Prize for Prevention of Child Abuse, celebrated worldwide on 19 November in recognition of her work combating child abuse at the grassroots level.
  • Prize for Women’s Creativity in Rural Life by the Women World Summit, Switzerland (October 2003).
  • Nominated and Registered Human Rights Defender for The 2nd Dublin Platform for Human Rights Defenders organised by Frontline Defenders of Human Rights Defenders (September 2003).
  • Certificate in Recognition of Remarkable Individuals from Around the World, Global Philanthropy Forum on Borderless Giving, US, 2003.

RESEARCH DONE

Highlights of Betty Makoni’s research accomplishments include:

  • Collection and deposition of evidence for rape survivors during political violence in Zimbabwe in partnership with AIDS FREE WORLD, 2008.
  • 1000 Worst Rape Cases – Rape cases in the 0-16 years age group in schools, churches, by high profile people, strangers and relatives, 2006.
  • Gender Based Violence Desk Study (August 1998 to August 2004 in Retrospect) – In 2004, Betty Makoni undertook a desk study of gender based violence with focus on child sexual abuse in Zimbabwe. This culminated in the production of a report that brought out the trends, magnitude and impact of rape on girls and recommendations on what needs to be done by government and other stakeholders.
  • Action Research on HIV/AIDS and Girls’ Reproductive Health And Effects of Shortage of Sanitary Towels on the Reproductive Health of the Girl Child In Zimbabwe, funded by the Pacific Institute for Women’s Health, 2003.
  • University of Zimbabwe Fourth Year Special Honors: Research Thesis on The Role of Theatre for Development in Development. Developed and Administered Women’s Performing Arts Groups and carried out a comparative analysis of grassroots communication mediums and Theatre for Development to determine the role played by theatre in participatory development at grassroots level. Thereafter incorporated findings in designing a grassroots development organization, Girl Child Network, 1996.

TRAINING MATERIALS PRODUCED

Betty Makoni has developed simple, grassroots-friendly tools that can be used in gender training programs for grassroots organisations and leaders such as chiefs. She has collected and is in the process of documenting best traditional practices like Girls Empowerment Villages in Zimbabwe which are fully supported by chiefs and can be replicated in many African countries. Samples of her training curricula include:

  • How to start and run Girl Child Network clubs
  • Group counseling
  • Management of Child Sexual Abuse In The Community
  • Confidence Building
  • Report And Project Proposal Writing
  • Care givers Course
  • Leadership Principles
  • HIV/AIDS, Virginity Testing And Human Rights
  • A Guide to Self Help Projects
  • Self-Empowerment Kit for Girls
  • Team Building

BOOKS AUTHORED AND FEATURED

  • A woman once a girl-Breaking silence published by Trafford is a compilation of Betty Makoni`s poetry on violence against women and girls. Her strongest message is that we are born victorious and not victims
  • Betty Makoni`s official autobiography entitled, Never again, not to any woman or girl again is a story about her triumph over her own sexual abuse at age 6 and how she helped many victims of domestic violence worldwide. The book takes reader through self-empowerment based on real life strategies that worked for Betty Makoni and thousands of women and girls she personally helped.
  • Betty Makoni is featured in many books and publications to include Documentary film, Tapestries of Hope and book entitled Women Who Light the Dark by Paola Gurnturco
  • Betty Makoni`s work to protect women and girls from domestic and sexual violence has been featured in the On the Up project sponsored by Churchill Memorial Trust Fund and launched at Royal Commonwealth society in April 2012

BETTY MAKONI`S PERSONALITY, SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE

Betty Makoni has strong communication skills   as well as a creative, inventive outlook and the ability to articulate and implement ideas. She can work under pressure as well as multi-task and work effectively on several active projects at any one time. She is action orientated, with a focus on continuous improvement. Creative, inventive  outlook and the ability to articulate and implement ideas. Betty Makoni has experience starting organisations and seeing them through growth.

Betty Makoni is dynamic, energetic leader who is driven by her commitment to girls and women, and her dedication to tackling the challenges that jeopardize their well-being—today and in the future. Those who know her and have worked with her attest to her passion for her work and to the fact that her efforts have already had a tremendous impact on local, national, and global levels.

She is also the former Chairperson of the Women`s Coalition of Zimbabwe. She has assisted thousands of women suffering from domestic violence to reclaim their rights. She is a former member of Oxfam Novib Round Table, Global Campaign Against Poverty Ambassador for Zimbabwe 2006. She is the founder of Ray of Hope–Network an organization for rape and domestic violence survivors, which she founded.