Dickens Thunde has over 15 years of experience leading international NGOs in Africa. He currently serves as the National Director of World Vision Kenya, where he oversees 900 staff and an annual budget of $80 million. Previously, he held leadership roles with World Vision in Malawi, East Africa Regional Strategy, and interim leadership in Ethiopia. Thunde has a master's degree in rural social development and a proven track record of managing large budgets, implementing strategic plans, and developing tools to guide strategy formulation across multiple countries in Africa.

1. CURRICULUM VITAE
DICKENS HYSON THUNDE
Address: World Vision Kenya, Karen Road, Off
Ngong Road, P. O .Box 50816 - 00200, Nairobi
- Kenya
Tel (254) 735 809 222 (mobile)
(254) 20 6926000 (office)
Email: dickens_thunde@wvi.org, dickens_thunde@yahoo.com, Skype: dickens.thunde
PROFESSIONAL OBJECTIVE
“Committed to making life better for the Children and the marginalized Poor
People”
STRATEGY MANAGEMENT & NGO LEADERSHIP
Qualified By: -
 Specialized graduate studies in Rural Social Development and on the job training for over a
decade of directly related, diversified and increasingly responsible work experience in iNGO sector.
 Over fifteen years of senior leadership experiences as Country Director for World Vision
Malawi (7 years), Regional Director of Strategy in World Vision East Africa (3 years) (4
years as Country Director for World Vision Kenya) and three years as Operations
Director in World Vision Malawi.
 Over two years working with World Vision Global Centre in Global Office of Strategy
Management to develop and roll out strategy formulation tools in all national offices and
regions of the Partnership.
 Three years of leading strategy formulation in East Africa region cascading to all the nine national
offices and coordinate a regional team of professional experts in support to national offices in the
department of Regional Office Strategy and Strategic Initiatives. (Somalia, Rwanda, Burundi,
Ethiopia, Tanzania, South Sudan, Sudan, Uganda and Kenya).
 Experience in working with Not-for-Profit Boards as CEO for World Vision Malawi and World
Vision Kenya to ensure efficient and effective governance of the iNGO in the countries of
registration.
 Strategic leadership and financial oversight of an average annual entity budget of $80 million
for the past three years since 2013 and over 800 employees.
 External engagement experience for influence, collaboration, resource mobilization and
learning purposes with governments, civil society, donors, Churches, peer NGOs and Community
Based Organizations.
 Cross cultural experience and ability to work with diverse teams from diverse cultures for the
achievement of common goals.
SKILL SETS
 Strategy Development and strategy execution
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2.  Strategic thinking and analysis
 Conflict resolution and mediation of staff differences
 Excellent written and spoken English
 Good public and media relations
 Management of multicultural groups
 Grassroots Development Facilitation
 Networking and collaboration.
 Team building.
KEY ACHIEVEMENTS
• Sustained World Vision Kenya budget growth within an average of 80 million USD within three
years of turbulent global regional and local economic context.
• Implemented a performance turn around and successful restructuring process for World
Vision Kenya in 2015 downsizing staff by 250 without any litigation.
• Won the World Vision Internal President’s Global Award of the Most Efficient and
Effective National Office through Process Improvement in 2014.
• Successfully led a commission dubbed “The Thunde Commission” in World Vision East
Africa Region that was established by the Regional Vice President to review existing
regional and country structures and recommend standardized structures that are aligned
to strategy in all the national offices which were subsequently approved and rolled out
to all the nine country program offices.
• On appointment by the World Vision East Africa Vice President, I chaired the
recruitment interview process for World Vision Ethiopia National Director, Deputy
National Directors for Kenya and Tanzania and participated in recruiting Regional Vice
President for Asia and the Senior Director of Operations for East Africa region.
• I was appointed to provide leadership oversight as Interim Country Director for World
Vision Ethiopia with over $90 million US Dollars annual budget for three months during
which, key strategic changes to position the office for a major re-organization were
made to pave way for the new Country Director.
• Under the guidance of Global Office of Strategy Management (GOSM), I led a process of
developing the current WVI Partnership strategy toolkit and Regional Working Group
(RWG) handbook to guide the strategy formulation processes.
• Commissioned by the Regional Vice President, Dr Charles Owubah, I led a Task Team
to review the progress made in the past three years since the establishment of East
Africa Region and make specific recommendations to feed into the strategic directions
of the region in the next three years
• Under the guidance of Global Office of Strategy Management (GOSM), I led a process of
developing the current WVI Partnership strategy toolkit and Regional Working Group
(RWG) handbook to guide the strategy formulation processes.
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3. • Sustained World Vision Kenya budget growth within an average of 80 million USD
within three years of turbulent global regional and local economic context
• Implemented a performance turn around and successful restructuring process for World
Vision Kenya in 2015 downsizing staff by 250 without any litigation.
• Won the World Vision Internal President’s Global Award of the Most Efficient and Effective
National Office through Process Improvement in 2014.
• Successfully led a commission dubbed “The Thunde Commission” in World Vision East Africa
Region that was established by the Regional Vice President to review existing regional and
country structures and recommend standardized structures that are aligned to strategy in all
the national offices which were subsequently approved and rolled out to all the nine country
program offices.
• On appointment by the World Vision East Africa Vice President, I chaired the recruitment
interview process for World Vision Ethiopia National Director, Deputy National Directors for
Kenya and Tanzania and participated in recruiting Regional Vice President for Asia and the
Senior Director of Operations for East Africa region.
• I was appointed to provide leadership oversight as Interim Country Director for World Vision
Ethiopia with over $90 million US Dollars annual budget for three months during which, key
strategic changes to position the office for a major re-organization were made to pave way for
the new Country Director.
• Under the guidance of Global Office of Strategy Management (GOSM), I led a process of
developing the current WVI Partnership strategy toolkit and Regional Working Group (RWG)
handbook to guide the strategy formulation processes.
• Commissioned by the Regional Vice President, Dr Charles Owubah, I led a Task Team to
review the progress made in the past three years since the establishment of East Africa Region
and make specific recommendations to feed into the strategic directions of the region in the
next three years.
• As National Director for World Vision Malawi, I engineered a management performance
turn-around leading to reinstated donor confidence and substantial programme growth from
$20 million US Dollars to $35 million cash in six years.
• World Vision Malawi was transformed under my leadership to move from a low investment
priority country to the highest priority country in Southern Africa for the seven years (1996 to
2003).
• As an Independent Consultant, I conducted research on “The Impact of food Aid on Children
in food insecure Environments” sponsored by Food Program Management Group (FPMG). This
study was focused on World Vision food aid programmes in Ethiopia and Tanzania in 2006.
• As an Independent Consultant, I conducted a two week comprehensive development
facilitation training for over (40) forty Programme managers and Senior Management members
of World Vision Swaziland in 2007.
• Conducted a food security baseline survey for Blantyre Arch-diocese Catholic Commission for
Justice and Peace (CCJP) in Phalombe, Thyolo and Chiladzulu districts of Malawi in 2007.
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4. • As an Independent Consultant, I developed a strategic plan for Malawi Centre for Multiparty
Democracy, a consortium of all political parties represented in Parliament with funding from
Netherlands Institute for Multiparty Democracy in 2007.
• As an Independent Consultant, I conducted a comparative evaluation on sustainability
between phased out Community Development Projects and Area Development Programs within
World Vision in Southern Africa in 2006. The study covered Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
• As an Independent Consultant, I completed a management review and Organizational
Development (OD) audit for World Vision South Africa to pioneer a performance turn around
resulting which led to the restructuring the office in 2006.
• As an Independent Consultant, I completed a regional evaluation for World Vision in nine
Southern African countries focused on ADP 2000 training Program which was accredited
training programme of Community Development Programme Managers in 2005. World Vision
and University of South Africa (UNISA) jointly run the programme, which covered Malawi,
Mozambique, Swaziland, Republic of South Africa, Lesotho, Democratic Republic of Congo,
Zambia and Zimbabwe.
• Led a six-member strategic performance review of World Vision Zimbabwe in 2006.
ACADEMIC QUALIFICATIONS
READING UNIVERSITY (United Kingdom)
MASTERS OF ARTS IN RURAL SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT (MA RSD)
1990
Course content included:
Core Course
• Concepts of Rural Social Development.
 The Sociology of Rural Social Development.
 Strategies of Rural Social Development.
 Organisations for Rural Social Development.
a) Dissertation title: -- “Conventional Development Projects and the Concept of
Participation: A Critical Analysis.”
b) Fieldwork for two weeks in Cyprus.
UNIVERSITY OF MALAWI (Malawi)
BACHELOR OF SOCIAL SCIENCE (BS OC) 1985
Major subjects of study included:
 Sociology of Development, History, English, Public Administration
 Theatre for Development (Drama)
PROFESSIONAL TRAINING
♦ Senior Leadership Development Program for WVI leaders, London, UK
♦ Bullet Proof Training for Manager by Raiser in Kenya
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5. ♦ The Speed of Trust training Program by Stephen MR Covey in Kenya
♦ Diploma in Financial management for Non Finance Managers, South Africa.
♦ Balanced Score Card for Not for Profit Organizations, Indonesia
♦ Pathways to Leadership Levels one and two for WVI.
♦ Certificate in Management skills for Rural Development at Reading University, UK
WORK EXPERIENCE
REFEREES
1. Dr Charles Owubah,
Partnership Regional Leader,
World Vision International,
300 I, Street, NE, Washington, DC 20002,
Email: charles_owubah@wvi.org
2. Dr Victor Madziakapita
Africa Regional Vice President,
Living Water International
CV for Dickens Thunde, November, 2016
 National Director, World Vision Kenya since 2013 to-date reporting to East Africa
Regional Director and the Board. I am responsible for 900 staff and responsible for a
budget of $91
 Director, Regional Strategy and Strategic Initiatives, June 2011 to-date with World Vision
International in East Africa Region, based in Nairobi, Kenya.
 Regional Strategy Management Specialist with World Vision in East Africa from 2009 to
2011.
 From April 2007 to August 2009 worked as a Strategy Development Specialist for World
Vision International for the World Vision International Partnership based in Malawi as a
home country international staff. I was responsible for providing guidance to the global
Partnership of World Vision in strategy development and ensure alignment of national
office strategies to the key documents of the organization.
 From 2005 to 2007, I became an Independent Development Management Consultant for
Non- Governmental Organizations, Churches and Civil Society organizations.
 National Director for World Vision International in Malawi from 1996 to 2003.
 CIDA Country Program Director responsible for the management of a CIDA multiyear
funded grant within World Vision Malawi.1993 to 1996.
 Operations Director, World Vision Malawi to provide strategic leadership in both relief
and development programs in the region 1990-1993.
 Senior Projects Coordinators and later promoted to Regional Operations Manager for
the North of Malawi to provide leadership of the regional team in designing and
implanting both emergency relief and development projects between 1987 and 1989.
 Projects Coordinator, responsible for the coordination and implementation of up to six
Community Development Projects in World Vision Malawi from 1985 to 1987
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6. P.O Box 21863-00505,
Morning Side Park, Second Floor, Nairobi, Kenya
Email: victor@water.cc
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7. P.O Box 21863-00505,
Morning Side Park, Second Floor, Nairobi, Kenya
Email: victor@water.cc
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