Sue Austen

Training Lead, Zimbabwe Without Orphans; Founder and Program Director, Kukosha

Born and raised in Zimbabwe, Sue is a passionate advocate for her country and its children. She founded Kukosha in 2014 with the vision of enabling children to remain in their family of origin and preventing the separation and institutionalization of infants and children. Kukosha’s primary intervention is food security, which consistently proves to be a game changer for families seeking to provide care and stability for their children. Kukosha is the biggest supplier of infant formula in the country, and it provides consistent food security on a monthly basis to high-risk families and foster parents. Kukosha cares for teen mothers using a foster care model and advocates for local adoption where needed. Sue is passionate about building capacity for individuals and organizations as they seek to improve care for children and ensure positive long-term outcomes.  

Zimbabwe Without Orphans is a leading organization in Zimbabwe’s child welfare community. It provides training for social workers, educators, practitioners and caregivers in best childcare practices, trauma-informed care, child protection and safeguarding, and the WWO roadmap. Sue is a master trainer for LAMb International, an international accredited trainer for the National Children at Risk Network, a Trust-Based Relational Intervention (TBRI) practitioner, and a graduate of the Trauma Research Foundation. She is the mother of seven sons and two daughters and lives in Harare, Zimbabwe.

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