Dr Layani Makwinja is an Educational and Developmental Psychologist and Lecturer in the Department of Educational Foundations at the University of Botswana. she has a PhD in Counselling and Psychology in Education specialising in Human Development and Educational Psychology. Her skills include Teaching, Motivational Speaking, Psychotherapy, Psychological and Psychometric Assessments, Trauma Therapy, Conflict Management and Mediation. Her interest spans across  Childhood Mental Health, Women Mental Health, Gender-Based Violence (GBV) and Identity Development.

Her work focuses on child and adolescent development, with a strong emphasis on psychological well-being, learning, and the social contexts that shape developmental outcomes. She has extensive experience working with children, youth, and families across clinical, educational, and community settings, and is deeply committed to advancing child-centered research and practice.

Dr Makwinja’s research explores key areas in child development and education, including children’s subjective well-being, Parent–child relationships, with a particular focus on father–child dynamics, Student motivation and engagement and the ecological (ecosystem) influences on child development, including family, school, and community contexts Her work contributes to a growing body of research highlighting the importance of children’s own perspectives in understanding their well-being and developmental trajectories.

Within RECLAIM, Dr Makwinja leads the design and implementation of gamified microlearning interventions and motivation-driven pedagogical approaches. Her role centers on integrating psychological principles of motivation and engagement into teacher training programmes, with the aim of enhancing instructional practices and improving learner outcomes through innovative, evidence-based strategies.