Board of Directors

Dr. Patrick Makokoro - Board Advisor

Dr. Patrick Makokoro has a PhD in Educational holds a Master of Science Degree in Development Studies, a Post Graduate Diploma in Early Childhood Development and has a Bachelor of Arts in Community Development. He has extensive experience working in community and international development projects in Zimbabwe, sub-Saharan Africa and globally. In 2012, he founded the Zimbabwe Network of Early Childhood Development Actors (ZINECDA), a national umbrella organization for Early Childhood Development. He is a Founding member of the African Early Childhood Network which is working to champion the developmental needs of young children in Africa.

Ms Tomaida Banda - Board Chair

Tomaida Banda holds a Masters in Social Work degree from the University of Zimbabwe with over 20 years’ experience in development work in Zimbabwe and the Sub-Saharan Africa region. She is the Chair of the ZINECDA Board and is currently managing the child protection and child rights portfolio for the Firelight Foundation, a multi-donor public charity fund that raises money from foundations, individuals, and institutions to support community-based organizations (CBOs) in Eastern and Southern Africa. She previously served as the Chairperson of the Child Welfare Council of Zimbabwe which advises the Minister of Social Services on matters relating to the welfare and well-being of children and monitoring the overall situation of vulnerable children.

Claudious Machowa - Vice Chair

Claudious Machowa holds a Certificate in HIV and AIDS Counselling from the Midlands AIDS Service Organization, Certificate in Psycho-Social Support and Youth Leadership with MASO, Certificate in Mass Communications from Sowers International School. He has extensive experience in Youth Counselling, Family and Marriage Counselling and HIV & AIDS Counselling. He has experience in voluntary work with the Zimbabwean Government and UNICEF in paraprofessional training and has experience in education as he is a Board Member of Cecil John Rhodes Primary as well as Chaplin High Schools. Claudious Machowa represents the ZINECDA Central Region of Zimbabwe. He sits in the Finance Committee and doubles up as the internal auditor.

Mercy Sakanya - Board Secretary

Mercy Sakanya holds a Masters in Child and Family Studies from Africa University. She is currently the Director of the Child Protection Society. She has over 15 years of experience working at Child Protection Society (CPS) in different capacities including administration work and development work for orphans and vulnerable children, adolescents and communities.

Bright Mubvuringi - Treasurer

Bright Mubvuringi is an Accountant at the National Employment Council for the Mining Industry (NEC Mining) and brings over twenty years of experience in the accounting field. He specializes in accounting for non-governmental organizations, leveraging his expertise to produce internationally accepted financial reports through best practice methods.Bright holds a Master of Commerce in Accounting from Great Zimbabwe University (GZU) and a Postgraduate Diploma in Applied Taxation from the Institute of Certified Tax Accountants (ICTA). His focus on financial reporting and corporate governance has led to significant recognition at NEC Mining, including a nomination for an award in the Best Corporate Governance Category at the National Employment Council (NECA) awards.Passionate about good corporate governance and tax accounting practices, Bright is motivated each morning by his commitment to excellence. Outside of his professional life, he is an avid soccer fan and enjoys spending quality time with his family.

Meck Sibanda - Board Member

Meki Sibanda is currently a PHD student (Development studies) and a holder of MA Project Management and administration and a Bachelor of Arts in Development Studies. He is a Country Representative for Greenmax UK based company that looks at energy, water and sanitation, and smart agriculture innovations. He is also an Ambassador for World Against Single Use of Plastics (WASUP) an organization in the UK and has opened WASUP Zimbabwe. Furthermore, he has been admitted at Bite Global Café as an Advisor in 2020. He has been the Co-founder of Lupane Vocational Centre and an Adviser for a Chance to Play South Africa since 2020.

Precious Nyamukondiwa - Board Member

Precious Nyamukondiwa holds a Bachelor of Arts in Human and Social Studies from UNISA. She has extensive experience in HIV and AIDS programming in Zimbabwe. Her areas of expertise are Orphan and Vulnerable Children programming using various models in the economic strengthening of vulnerable households, child protection, paediatric AIDS programming, and Adolescent sexual reproductive health. Her engagement with communities enabled her to represent Civil Society as an alternate member in the Country Coordinating Mechanism of the Global Fund for Zimbabwe from 2016 to 2018. She is a team leader, philanthropist, is passion-driven and of high integrity. She is the representative of the Northern Region Board member of the Programming Sub-committee.