Professional Experience:
I am a senior international development, child protection, and social welfare professional with more than 25 years of progressive experience in program development, systems strengthening, institutional capacity building, humanitarian response, research, policy development, and strategic advisory services. I have worked extensively with the United Nations, international and national NGOs, government institutions, civil society organizations, and community-based organizations, providing technical leadership and supporting sustainable programs and systems that improve outcomes for children, families, and vulnerable populations.
I served with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Tanzania for 14 years as a Child Protection Specialist, providing technical assistance to the Government of Tanzania and civil society organizations to strengthen child protection systems at national and subnational levels. My areas of expertise include Child Protection in Emergencies, alternative care, case management, social service workforce strengthening, mental health and psychosocial support, capacity development, policy and program development, and multisectoral coordination.
During my tenure with UNICEF, I led and contributed to major national initiatives. These included developing Tanzania’s National Response Plan for the 2024 Violence Against Children Survey, facilitating case management services for 701 participants; coordinating five UN agencies under the Kigoma Joint Program to provide protection services to more than 3,300 survivors of gender-based violence and violence against children; and establishing national mental health and psychosocial support services during public health emergencies, reaching more than 340,000 people across more than 130 Local Government Authorities. I also contributed to the design and national scale-up of Tanzania’s child protection system, which expanded to all 185 Local Government Authorities.
I have extensive expertise in strengthening the social service workforce and professional development. I led a nationwide assessment of Tanzania’s social service workforce and supported development of a national workforce strengthening roadmap. I also led national child protection training initiatives that trained more than 965 Social Welfare Officers and supported development of a 28-module national child protection training manual. In collaboration with academic institutions, I supported integration of child protection into the curricula of all 12 social work institutions in Tanzania. I also supported deployment of 110 social workers to strengthen child protection services for Burundian refugees.
Before joining UNICEF, I held progressively responsible positions with Pact Tanzania, Concern Worldwide, SNV, World Vision Tanzania, and health and social care organizations in the United Kingdom. These roles provided extensive experience in grant management, organizational development, community development, livelihoods, civil society strengthening, partnership development, program planning, monitoring and evaluation, research, and health and social care.
My academic qualifications include a Master of Science in Community Economic Development, a Postgraduate Diploma in Child Protection in Emergencies, and a Bachelor’s degree in Animal Science. I have participated in national and international research, including Tanzania’s 2011 and 2024 Violence Against Children Surveys and the 2023 National Assessment of the Social Service Workforce.
Throughout my career, I have demonstrated strong leadership, strategic thinking, stakeholder engagement, policy analysis, research, training, program management, and partnership-building capabilities. My contributions have been recognized through awards from UNICEF, the United Nations, and the Government of Tanzania for dedicated service and significant contributions to strengthening child protection and social welfare systems.