Patrick Makokoro

Leadership rooted in humanity and service

Patrick Makokoro’s leadership is grounded in a deep respect for people, community and lived experience. Across continents and contexts, his work in education, philanthropy and community development has been guided by a consistent belief in the power of human connection and collective responsibility.

Makokoro was born and raised in Zimbabwe, growing up close to the realities of economic precarity and social inequity. Those early experiences shaped his understanding of dignity, work and resilience—long before he stepped into formal leadership roles or global policy spaces.

“I sit here as a son of a gardener, a son of a maid, professions that back in my home country were looked down upon,” he remarks.

As a young person, Makokoro worked alone at a market stall, learning early what it meant to work, contribute and persevere. That grounding would later inform both his humility and his sense of possibility.

“I used to sit at the corner, sell sweets and hawk avocados and all these kinds of things,” he says.

A life shaped by gratitude

One of the most defining moments in Makokoro’s life came years earlier, following a conflict with his father about finances and education.

“I was looking forward to going into university, and my dad said that he did not have money to send me to university and I needed to start working so I could contribute to the household economy,” he says.

That moment led him to work at an orphanage in western Zimbabwe, where he supported children with homework, helped develop a vegetable garden and contributed to daily life.

“Here are kids who don’t have a father or a mother, but are grateful for everything that they have,” he says. “This is where I realized what I want to do with my life. I want to live a life of service.”

That experience became the seed for what would eventually grow into the Nhaka Foundation. Over time, the organization evolved from paying school fees for vulnerable children to building schools, supporting sustainable nutrition programs, working with governments and advocating for children’s right to education across southern Africa. For Makokoro, the most meaningful growth has been watching others step into leadership.

Makokoro did eventually begin undergraduate studies at the University of South Africa and, in 2018, arrived at the University of Victoria as a doctoral student, entering an academic environment that felt expansive and deeply formative. Studying alongside peers from around the world and learning from faculty with diverse scholarly and lived experiences reinforced his global outlook and sharpened his academic focus.

“The world is a small classroom, so people come from different areas, seeking different opportunities in life,” he says.

Makokoro describes UVic as a space where his scholarship was strengthened through exposure to multiple perspectives—where learning extended beyond the classroom and into community.

Hubuntu: a leadership philosophy in action

At the heart of Makokoro’s leadership philosophy is a concept he calls hubuntu—a blending of Ubuntu and the Shona concept of hunhu. It is a way of being that centres kindness, respect and presence that shows up in how Makokoro works with colleagues, students and partners.

“People want to be loved, to be respected, to be honored, to be valued and for their contributions to be heard,” he observes.

Storytelling is another thread that runs deeply through Makokoro’s life, inherited from his mother and grandmother—lessons he now carries forward in his work and with his own children. Though his mother never had access to formal schooling, he credits her as one of his greatest teachers.

“She is the brightest and most educated person in my eyes that I’ve ever seen,” he says.

Today, Makokoro's work spans academia, philanthropy, entrepreneurship and global policy, including contributions to international frameworks on early childhood development as UNESCO co-Chair for Early Childhood Development and a tenure-track assistant professor in UVic’s School of Child and Youth Care. 

Yet recognition has not shifted his perspective. For him, leadership remains an everyday practice of authenticity and care.

“We only die once, and we live every day, so are we showing up in ways that leave this world a better place than we found it?” he says.