Master of Social Work, Australian Catholic University
Makonong is a practicing social worker and educator with over five years’ experience supporting survivors of family violence to access housing and justice in Australia and PNG. She is passionate about driving policy change to better support and train first-line responders to address family violence and child protection in PNG.
Makonong has held a range of roles within the NGO sector, including as a Family Violence Crisis Accommodation Support Worker for the Salvation Army in Australia, and a Case Worker for Femili PNG. From 2021-2023, Makonong worked with PNG NGO Equal Playing Field, where she managed national outreach programs training teachers in high schools and tertiary institutions to uphold and enact child protection and violence prevention policies and procedures.
When she returns home to PNG, Makonong intends to advocate for and support the mainstreaming of policies within educational institutions that can uphold child protection and the prevention of sexual exploitation, abuse, and violence.
