Chronic Diseases including HIV and AIDS in Zimbabwe, Document Analysis and Examination
ID: 728900
United Kingdom
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Expert writes impartial individual witness expert reports for immigration solicitors on all risks for Zimbabwean nationals to be returned to Zimbabwe. She uses a holistic approach highlighting Zimbabwe's broad state of chronic vulnerability, socio-economic issues and political developments, Human rights, inequitable gender relations and governance, infrastructure, discriminatory policy issues, critical issues of food, water and sanitation, engagement of the Government of Zimbabwe with donor community and the responses and programmes, inaccessibility of the majority of people to affordable essential medicines (including anti-retroviral drugs) and commodities. Expert also attends meetings and court for cross-examination. She does desk research and also makes periodic annual visits to Zimbabwe to gather evidence-based or update data from the ground.
Expert has been assessing causes and characteristics of Zimbabwe's issues, impacts and capacities for decades both in theory and in practice, hence her current functional competencies as a expert witness. She has a Masters degree (MSc) and a PhD in Development Studies. She produced a thesis in fulfillment of her doctoral studies, with evidence-based data collected over a period of 12 months from mainly rural Zimbabwe. For her MSc dissertation she also examined evidence-based data on barriers to women managers' advancements in Zimbabwe. She is an experienced and multi-skilled Development Practitioner committed to the world's most marginalised and vulnerable people, with 17 years hands-on experience in development practice which includes gender advocacy; politics, governance & capacity building issues; the economy; well-being; health promotion issues (including nutrition, water & sanitation); community development & empowerment; livelihoods & social mapping; policy & human rights issues.
Her studies together with her work experience are very relevant to what she does and her future commitments and ambitions, as she studied and practise(d) development including the major chronic issues of poverty and impacts of diseases, gender imbalances, the macro and micro-economy, politics and governance, human rights and livelihoods.
Expert is a successful expert witness working alone and with other experts, hence she is able to work individually and/or as a team member.
Expert testifies by giving evidence or proof as an expert witness. Her formal comprehensive legal written and/or spoken statements are expert testimonies of true stories and real life situations. She aims to promote awareness which should enhance marginalised and vulnerable people’s well-being in their communities encompassing issues of - individuality, responsibilities, rights and entitlements, choice, privacy, independence, dignity, respect and partnership within communities; however she is also aware of practical limitations/barriers involved in development discourses and practice.
Expert's expert testimonies highlights multi-sectoral assessments to aid court decision-making pertinent to people's social and survival needs, capacities and human rights. She prefers the multi-sectoral approach because it gives a bigger and better holistic and realistic understanding of needs and issues, a good testimony in legal issues.
From her long work experience and studies, Expert is aware of issues pertaining to marginalised and vulnerable people especially in that they have limited and/or no voice of their own. In a democratic legal system all people are suppose to claim what is rightfully theirs and some need assistance. All pertinent issues have to be highlighted in order to aid court decision making processes making it necessary to engage experts.
Expert was part of the team of expert witnesses engaged on Zimbabwean country guidance cases heard from 1-3 March 2010 at an AIT hearing in London. Expert from November 2005 to January 2006 was in the consulting team that was invovlved in a national field study to establish the unit cost and co-financing modalities of basic education in Zimbabwe with particular attention to vulnerable individuals.From November to December 1996 Expert was contracted by Kellogg Foundation as a consultant to do the Bindura District baseline survey for the Foundation before it funded agricultural projects in the District in 1997. Expert was hired as a gender awareness consultant twice in 1996 in a remote and poorest Zimbabwean District of rural Rushinga in Mashonaland Province funded by SIDA.