Summary
Overview
Work History
Education
Skills
Accomplishments
Certification
Languages
Francis's Published Opinion Editorials;
Policy Dialogues That Francis has Participated in:
Websites
International Conferences Participated in
References
Timeline
Generic

Francis Mukora

Harare

Summary

Results-driven Programs Manager with expertise in stakeholder engagement and strategic planning. Proven track record in leading advocacy projects that enhance brand reputation and drive community engagement.

A development professional with expertise and experience in high impact communication, stakeholder engagement, advocacy, fundraising and project management. A fluent and effective communicator who have participated in high level televised policy dialogues with government ministers, members of parliament and heads of international organisations and UN officials and written several op-eds published in national newspapers resulting in policy changes and reviews. A highly respected public policy analyst has participated in high-level policy debates with ministers, members of parliament and heads of international organisations and UN agencies, and also provided expert analysis and commentary on government policy to at least four national newspapers, three radio stations and a national television in Zimbabwe.

A competent networker who facilitated my organizations’ formal partnerships and MOUs with local authorities, government ministries, international organisations and United Nations agencies. Also facilitated several trainings of high level government officials resulting in their adoption of rights-based approaches to service delivery. A global leader who has served as Ambassador for reputable global organisations namely the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP) and Thought for Food Foundation (TFF). Currently an Advisory Board Member for The Shift, a global housing rights organization founded and led by former UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Adequate Housing (2014-2020), Leilani Farha.

.

Overview

16
16
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification

Work History

Programs Manager

Zimbabwe Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights Network (ZIMSRHR)
Harare
01.2025 - Current
  • Coordinating the implementation of an ongoing project entitled "Promoting Research and Public Discourse to Influence the Legislative Review Processes for SRHR and Safe Abortion Laws’ Alignment to Zimbabwe’s 2013 Constitution," which is funded by SRHR Africa Trust (SAT).
  • Led a stakeholder engagement exercise that created partnerships with the City of Harare, the Ministry of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs (MJLPA), the National Aids Council (NAC), and several Kambuzuma CBOs and CSOs in our safe abortion advocacy project.
  • Trained 15 women and youth in Kambuzuma to become facilitators of the Regenerated Freirean Literacy through Empowering Community Techniques (REFLECT) model, which ZIMSRHR uses in its work, including our ongoing safe abortion advocacy project.
  • Leading a safe abortion movement building campaign, I have coordinated the 15 REFLECT facilitators to mobilise over 200 residents from around Kambuzuma, who are now organised into seven circles driving advocacy on SRHR and safe abortion access.
  • Collaborated with the Law Development Commission (LDC) of Zimbabwe to train 65 REFLECT Facilitators, Circle members and City of Harare health and social services officers on the Constitution of Zimbabwe, Termination of Pregnancy Act (TOP) and international statutes on SRHR and safe abortion.
  • Led an information dissemination and awareness-raising campaign that reached over 1,800 women and youth in Kambuzuma, increasing knowledge and understanding of SRHR and safe abortion by 60% within the first six months of the project.

Programs Manager

Community Alliance for Human Settlements in Zimbabwe (CAHSZ)
Harare
01.2023 - 12.2024
  • Spearheaded the formulation and implementation of a Communication Policy to guide internal and external communications for CAHSZ.
  • Led CAHSZ's external communications, writing 10+ op-eds and organising and participating in 10+ live TV and radio policy dialogues articulating CAHSZ’s work which boosted brand visibility resulting in partnership and funding with donors, civil society and academic institutions from across South Africa, Uganda, Mexico and the United States.
  • Led a research that gathered and used data on the potential effects of Statutory Instrument (SI) 50 of 2021 which sought to legalize displacement of 12500 minority Shangani tribe citizens from 12900 hectares of land to pave way for a Lucerne farming project by a private company to engage government, including by writing an op-ed (insert link) and participating in a televised policy debate (insert link) that resulted in government suspending the SI 50/2021 which saved more than 12500 people from eviction.
  • Led a civic education and constitutional literacy project partnering with the MJLPA to teach communities facing arbitrary evictions on how to utilize existing protection mechanisms which resulted in six at-risk communities using the courts and the Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission (ZHRC) to stop plans to evict 15000+ people from their communal land to pave way for mining and agricultural investments by powerful local and foreign citizens and companies.

Advocacy and MEAL Officer

Centre for Conflict Management and Transformation (CCMT)
Harare
04.2022 - 12.2022
  • Formulated and implemented a content creation and social media strategy that trebled CCMT followership across Facebook, X (formerly twitter) and YouTube within four months of my arrival.
  • Led implementation of a communications strategy that saw CCMT appearing on four television shows, 10+ community radio shows and six newspaper articles directly reaching 10 000+ citizens and policymakers with information on CCMT’s work on development induced displacements (DIDs).
  • Developed Guidelines on Relocation that were adopted by seven local authorities in Midlands province which reduced development induced displacements cases across the province by 25% within six months.
  • Initiated and facilitated dialogue between Gokwe Town Council (GTC) and Kambasha Community which saved 63 families settled on land earmarked for Gokwe Town expansion from eviction after they were incorporated in the Gokwe Town Master Plan.
  • Organised a workshop whereby CCMT collaborated with the Ministry of Local Government and Public Works (MLGPW) and Ministry of National Housing and Social Amenities to come up with a draft national Compensation and Relocation Framework which was later adopted by government.
  • Trained 36 community representatives from around Midlands province on advocacy which empowered them to engage local authorities resulting in the adoption of Guiding Principles on Relocation into local authority policies.
  • Organised a high level televised policy dialogue to commemorate the first anniversary of adoption of the Zimbabwe National Human Settlements Policy (ZNHSP) where I participated with the Minister of National Housing resulting in an operational partnership between CCMT and the Ministry of National Housing in the implementation of the ZNHSP.

Research, Advocacy and Communications Manager

Community Alliance for Human Settlements in Zimbabwe (CAHSZ)
Harare
01.2017 - 03.2022
  • Led the process of gathering the views and aspirations of IDPs and slum dwellers on what they wanted political parties contesting the 2018 elections to address if elected, which were then consolidated into a Ten-Point Charter of Issues, which were then shared with the major contesting political parties, resulting in the three biggest political parties (ZANU PF, MDC Alliance, and MDC-T) including seven of those 10 issues in their 2018 election manifestos and pledging to address them if elected.
  • Led a post-2018 election advocacy campaign to hold elected political parties (ZANU PF, MDC Alliance, and MDC-T) accountable for their pre-election pledges, resulting in the government fulfilling three of the seven issues on CAHSZ's Ten Point Charter.
  • Wrote two published op-eds, organised and participated in a high level policy debate with the political parties representatives which resulted in two laws causing displacements being reviewed during the first session (2018-2019) of the Ninth (2018-2023) Parliament of Zimbabwe.
  • Negotiated a formal partnership with the Ministry of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs (MJLPA) that raised awareness among over 10,000 rural residents, ex-commercial farms, and mining communities about the Constitution and how to utilise it to access justice and protect themselves from rights violations.
  • Leveraged on the MJLPA MOU to lead a research which documented and shared data on the human rights situation of displaced communities in Zimbabwe which to the Government of Zimbabwe (GOZ) including IDPs in Zimbabwe’s 2018 Universal Periodic Review (UPR) report for the first time.
  • Led engagements with the Ministry of National Housing and Social Amenities (MNHSA) during the formulation of the Zimbabwe National Human Settlements Policy (ZNHSP) resulting in the regularisation and upgrading of informal settlements, improving living conditions of 10 000+ slum dwellers in Epworth.
  • Organized and participated in a televised policy debate to celebrate the launch of the ZNHSP where I pushed the Minister of National Housing and Social Amenities to publicly commit to full and immediate implementation of the social housing and amenities provisions.
  • Led a research that gathered and used data on the potential effects of Statutory Instrument (SI) 50 of 2021 which sought to legalize displacement of 12500 minority Shangani tribe citizens from 12900 hectares of land to pave way for a Lucerne farming project by a private company to engage government, including by writing an op-ed and participating in a televised policy debate that resulted in government suspending the SI 50/2021 which saved more than 12500 people from eviction.
  • Led a civic education and constitutional literacy project partnering with the MJLPA to teach communities facing arbitrary evictions on how to utilize existing protection mechanisms which resulted in six at-risk communities using the courts and the Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission (ZHRC) to stop plans to evict 15000+ people from their communal land to pave way for mining and agricultural investments by powerful local and foreign citizens and companies.
  • Initiated a partnership with the former United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Right to Adequate Housing, Leilani Farha and UN Habitat to conduct training for 42 high level government officials from eight ministries on rights-based approaches to housing and service delivery provision.

Advocacy and Communications Officer

Zimbabwe Community Development Trust (ZCDT)
Harare
01.2010 - 12.2016
  • - Created 12 monthly Community News Bulletins for marginalized communities, reaching over 4,000 individuals, and enhancing civic participation through a community-based planning project.
  • Secured a partnership with the Ministry of Constitutional and Parliamentary Affairs, obtaining USD 300,000 in funding for the participation of internally displaced persons in the constitution-making process, leading to the inclusion of Section 74 on protection against arbitrary evictions.
  • Mobilised and organised 3000+ people in internally displaced communities into 12 community based organisations (CBOs) that spearheaded local level advocacy saving 9000+ people from arbitrary displacements.
  • Developed and designed IEC materials for a communications campaign, informing over 30,000 people about the simplified Bill of Rights in draft constitution for their participation in the 2013 referendum.
  • Led advocacy campaign resulting in Zimbabwe's ratification of Kampala Convention, strengthening policy framework supporting section 74.

Education

Master of Science - Governance And Leadership

National University O Science & Technology (NUST)d
Bulawayo, Zimbabwe
11-2021

Bachelor of Science - Journalism And Media Studies

National University of Science & Technology (NUST)
Bulawayo, Zimbabwe
11-2017

Skills

  • Stakeholder Engagement
  • Effective Verbal and Written Communication
  • High-level communications strategy
  • Brand reputation management
  • Project Management
  • Conflict Resolution
  • Resource Mobilisation
  • Influencing Skills

Accomplishments

  • 2018 Global Youth Leadership Award winner
  • Selected from among more than 5,300 applicants from 84 countries as a fellow for the 2018-2019 Community Solutions Program (CSP), a prestigious U.S. State Department fellowship that brings together 100 of the best and brightest community leaders from around the world to the United States for an intensive four-month leadership development program
  • Selected to participate in the 2018 Mandela Washington Fellowship (MWF) for Young African Leaders, the flagship program of the Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI) funded by the U.S. Department of State
  • Invited by the Presidential Precinct from among 2,000+ international delegates participating in various fellowships in the United States to participate in the Global Leadership Forum 2018 (GLF 2018), hosted by the Presidential Precinct and the University of Virginia (UVA) in Charlottesville, Virginia, under the theme 'Advancing Women’s Economic Empowerment'
  • Selected from the 20, 2018 GLF delegates and profiled by the Presidential Precinct Chairperson, James B. Murray, Jr. In his 2018 Annual Report, he described her as “one of the stand-out leaders who, having participated in our organization’s programs, is catalyzing hope and progress in communities worldwide.”
  • Invited by the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) as an Observatory Executive Participant to the 2023 First Regular Session of the Executive Board of UNDP, UNFPA, and UNOPS in New York, as the Economic and Social Council and the United Nations Charter wish to tap into your field experiences
  • Profiled by the U.S. Embassy Zimbabwe as a journalist, human rights campaigner, youth mentor, social entrepreneur, and environmentalist who has passionately worked to improve access to socio-economic, civic, and political rights among marginalized aliens and internally displaced persons (IDPs) across Zimbabwe

Certification

  • Diploma in the Community Leadership Institute- George Mason University, U.S.A
  • Advanced Human Rights Course: Protection of Forcibly Displaced Persons in Africa-Centre for Human Rights at the University of Pretoria, South Africa
  • Certificate in Public Policy Analysis & Advocacy- SIVIO Institute, Zimbabwe
  • Certificate-“A Holistic Approach to the Integration of Migrants and Refugees”-International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD) in partnership with Migration EU Expertise (mieux+) and the EU
  • Certificate in Resource Mobilisation & Financial Sustainability for Civil Society Organisations-Brot für die Welt (Bread for the World) in partnership with Faith to Action Network
  • Certificate of Completion of Rotary Positive Peace Activator Training Course-Rotary International-Institute for Economics & Peace, and Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda

Languages

Shona
First Language
English
Proficient (C2)
C2

Francis's Published Opinion Editorials;

Ø Confronting the scourge of displacements in Zimbabwe; Newsday 29 July 2017: https://www.newsday.co.zw/2017/07/confronting-scourge-arbitrary-evictions/

Ø Parliament holds hope of displaced people; Francis Mukora, Newsday 4 October 2018: https://www.newsday.co.zw/2018/10/parly-holds-hope-of-displaced-people/

Ø Dendairy, Shangani villagers tiff require holistic approach: https://www.newsday.co.zw/2020/06/dendairy-shangani-villagers-tiff-requires-holistic-approach/

Ø Putting the cart before the horse; Why vendors stalls demolitions are ill-advised; Francis Mukora, Newsday 27 April 2020: https://www.newsday.co.zw/2020/04/putting-the-cart-before-the-horse-why-vendor-stalls-demolitions-are-ill-advised/

Ø Lockdown regulations make informal settlements vulnerable: https://www.newsday.co.zw/2020/04/lockdown-regulations-make-informal-settlements-vulnerable/

Ø On Covid 19 policy measures impact on informal settlements; https://www.newsday.co.zw/opinion-amp-analysis/article/47600/lockdown-regulations-make-informal-settlements-vulnerable

Ø On lessons to be learnt from Covid-19: https://www.newsday.co.zw/2020/05/covid-19-a-learning-curve-2

Ø On demolition of vendors’ stalls: https://www.newsday.co.zw/opinion-amp-analysis/article/47176/putting-the-cart-before-the-horse-why-vendor-stalls-demolitions-are-ill-advised

Put forward solutions to address needs of internally displaced persons; Francis Mukora, Newsday 28 September 2018: https://www.newsday.co.zw/2018/09/put-forward-solutions-to-address-needs-of-internally-displaced-people/

Policy Dialogues That Francis has Participated in:

1. Participated on live television policy dialogue on searching for solutions to Development Induced Developments (DIDs) in Zimbabwe organised by CCMT; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lz8vmX-SOKg&t=157s

2. Policy dialogue entitled Discussing Urban Renewal and Expansion in Zimbabwe https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rJdcr1gfcR4 with Minister Hon. Daniel Garwe.

3. Participated in a live television policy dialogue to discuss the Zimbabwe National Human Settlements Policy https://www.facebook.com/ZTNPrime/videos/307854657815743/

Websites

International Conferences Participated in

  • 2023 Solutions Summit for Community Solutions Program Alumni organized by IREX and held in Buacharest, Romania under the theme “Crisis Response: Coordinating Relief and Humanitarian Assistance!”
  • Positive Peace Activator Training organised by Rotary International in Partnership with the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP) and hosted by Makerere University in Kampala, Uganda
  • 2018 Global Leadership Forum (GLF) hosted by the Presidential Precinct and the University of Virginia (UVA) in Charlottesville, Virginia under the theme “Advancing Women’s Economic Empowerment.”

References

References available upon request.

Timeline

Programs Manager

Zimbabwe Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights Network (ZIMSRHR)
01.2025 - Current

Programs Manager

Community Alliance for Human Settlements in Zimbabwe (CAHSZ)
01.2023 - 12.2024

Advocacy and MEAL Officer

Centre for Conflict Management and Transformation (CCMT)
04.2022 - 12.2022

Research, Advocacy and Communications Manager

Community Alliance for Human Settlements in Zimbabwe (CAHSZ)
01.2017 - 03.2022

Advocacy and Communications Officer

Zimbabwe Community Development Trust (ZCDT)
01.2010 - 12.2016

Master of Science - Governance And Leadership

National University O Science & Technology (NUST)d

Bachelor of Science - Journalism And Media Studies

National University of Science & Technology (NUST)

Similar Profiles

  • Timothy Banda Bemba Banda

    Timothy Banda Bemba BandaTimothy Banda Bemba Banda

    Member at National Working Group of the Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights, HIV and AIDs Governance Project - National Assembly of ZambiaMember at National Working Group of the Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights, HIV and AIDs Governance Project - National Assembly of Zambia

  • Chit Su Phyo

    Chit Su PhyoChit Su Phyo

    Project Assistant at Myanmar Medical Association _Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health ProjectProject Assistant at Myanmar Medical Association _Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health Project

  • EMMANUEL ODHIAMBO OPIYO

    EMMANUEL ODHIAMBO OPIYOEMMANUEL ODHIAMBO OPIYO

    Finance Officer and Grants Officer at Reproductive Health Network KenyaFinance Officer and Grants Officer at Reproductive Health Network Kenya

  • Lamack Dzviti Pr.Sci.Nat

    Lamack Dzviti Pr.Sci.NatLamack Dzviti Pr.Sci.Nat

    Head of ESG, Safety & Sustainability / HSSEC at Dynamic Mining SASHead of ESG, Safety & Sustainability / HSSEC at Dynamic Mining SAS

  • Samson Maponga

    Samson MapongaSamson Maponga

    Project Officer at Care ZimbabweProject Officer at Care Zimbabwe

CREATE PROFILE