Denboy Kudejira was born and raised in Zimbabwe and joined the Department of Anthropology at Memorial University in Canada as a PhD candidate in 2018. His research centers on the anthropology of natural hazards with a particular focus on disasters and humanitarianism. Through his PhD research, Kudejira is retracing Cyclone Idai, which left a trail of destruction in the eastern districts of Zimbabwe in March 2019. He seeks to generate knowledge on the extent to which survivors of the cyclone have benefited from the interventions of providers of humanitarian assistance. Besides shedding light on how humanitarian support currently being provided to survivors of cyclone Idai can be enhanced, his work also endeavors to develop strategies and best practices that can be adopted to improve coordination of humanitarian assistance in situations similar to the cyclone Idai disaster.
Kudejira draws motivation and inspiration from years of experience working with various international and local humanitarian agencies in southern Africa. Before joining Memorial University, he spent more than fifteen years leading disaster response, food security, public health, and policy advocacy initiatives in the region.
Kudejira also holds a Master of Arts degree in Sustainable International Development from Brandeis University, a Master of Philosophy degree in Land and Agrarian Studies from the University of Western Cape in South Africa and a Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Sciences from Bindura University of Science Education in Zimbabwe.