top of page

Women
WRITE
LIFE 

The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed longstanding health inequities faced by vulnerable populations, especially women and older persons. Research on the impact of work on women's health is limited in low to middle-income countries. To address this gap, we will work with our Canadian, Kenyan, and Uganda teams to give voice to the concerns, needs, and ideas of women and seniors for recovery beyond COVID-19. Our innovative approach will prioritize their voices, ensure equity and inclusion, and be based on shared decision-making. Through this research project, we aim to translate knowledge into action for women to write their own futures beyond the pandemic.

Building Back Stronger:

Empowering Women for a Sustainable Future

Our proposal outlines an action-oriented research program that addresses women's health, work, and well-being across the life course to empower women and build a sustainable economy and environment post-COVID-19.

 

Using an innovative methodology that prioritizes the voices of women and policymakers, the research will lead to evidence-informed policy and practice-making. The program will employ a transdisciplinary approach and a parallel case study design to facilitate comparisons of results and mobilization of learnings between two research sites.

Collaborating Institutions

Dr Diana M.S. Karanja

Kenya

University of Waterloo

Prof. Susan J. Elliotts

Department of Geography & Environmental Management

Canada

Uganda

Kenneth Mugayehwenkyi

Objective 1

How are women doing? 

This will examine associations between work (both paid and unpaid) and health throughout the COVID-19 pandemic among women across the life course.

Objective 2

How empowered are women feeling?

Document levels of perceived empowerment among women across the life course.

Objective 3

What do women need to address their health and wellbeing issues and to feel more empowered?

Undertake deliberative dialogues with women across the life course as well as key stakeholders to design an intervention strategy for immediate and medium-term solutions for COVID-19 recovery at both the community and systems levels and to establish a foundation for women together that will help them address future (health, climate, civil) emergencies.

Funded by

Study area

This is a two-year study to understand how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected women in rural and peri-urban communities in Kenya and Uganda. According to a recent survey conducted by the Population Council, 85% of respondents in these areas reported earning less than they did before the pandemic, with a quarter reporting complete loss of income and 57% reporting partial loss. Women were more likely to report complete loss of income, while men were more likely to report partial loss. Overall, any loss of income was higher among women.

The survey also found that women took on more unpaid labor after the pandemic began, with 55% of women reporting doing more cooking compared to 24% of men, 50% reporting fetching more water compared to 17% of men, 69% reporting doing more cleaning compared to 19% of men, and 64% reporting doing more childcare compared to 53% of men. Additionally, 89% of participants reported increasing costs of food, 72% reported increasing costs of cooking fuel, and 79% reported overall increased expenses for the household.

Given these findings, evidence-informed policies to address the health and economic issues faced by women in these communities will have a tremendous impact on these families and their communities in the immediate and medium term.

DSC_2413.JPG
DSC_4668_edited.jpg

Study Context

This research project aims to create a platform where women can work together to achieve access to basic human rights, such as food, water, education, and healthcare, in order to address the socioeconomic and health inequalities that have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. The study draws on feminist political ecologies of health to explore power imbalances in access to resources required for everyday life. The project recognizes that some populations, such as women and older persons, are more vulnerable than others and seeks to address these inequities.

The team will use integrated knowledge mobilization techniques that prioritize the voices and ideas of those most affected. The research methodology will include data collection processes that privilege women's voices, sharing research results with participants to ensure meaningful findings, and deliberative dialogues with policy makers and stakeholders to create a link between knowledge and action. The aim is to explore both sides of the coin of privilege and to disrupt existing inequities to achieve transformative change.

Stephanie Nixon, a scholar in public health, has argued that recognizing privilege is essential for creating transformative change that promotes equity. The team hopes to make a difference in this regard by using an approach that prioritizes the voices of marginalized groups and seeks to create meaningful change that will benefit those most affected.

Meet the team

Meet our team of passionate gender equality activists working to improve women's health, work, and well-being across the life course, and to build back stronger post-COVID-19.

Karanja_Diana.jpg

Co-Principle Investigator

Diana Karanja

Cohesu

Kenya

  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
Mugayehwenkyi_Kenneth.jpg

Country Advisor  

Kenneth Mugayehwenkyi

ROTOM

Uganda

  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
Abstract Pattern 30

Researcher

Abraham Nunbogu

University of Waterloo

Canada

  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
Dodd_Warren.jpg

Research Advisor

Warren Dodd

University of Waterloo

Canada

  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
Karanja_Diana.jpg

Research Advisor 

Sarah Dickin

Stockholm Environment Inst

Stockholm

  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
Ototo_Ednah.jpg

Post Doctoral

Edna Ototo

Cohesu

Kenya

  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
Abstract Pattern 30

Consultant - EDI-J

Sophie Jama

TruVoice Consultants

Canada

  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
Burgoyne_ Anne.jpg

Project Manager

Anne Burgoyne

University of Waterloo

Canada

  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
Abstract Pattern 30

Consultant - BioStatistician

Isaiah Omondi

Cohesu

Kenya

  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
Abstract Pattern 30

Project Manager

Justine Nagawa

ROTOM

Uganda

  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
Abstract Pattern 30

Post Doctoral

Andrea Rishworth

-

-

  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
Abstract Pattern 30

IKT

Kelsey Ramsey

-

-

    Karanja_Diana.jpg

    Consultant - Tech

    Daniel Sabwa

    Cohesu

    Kenya

    • Twitter
    • LinkedIn
    Abstract Pattern 30

    Decision Maker

    Emily Ajiambo

    Assist. Commissioner Elderly and Disability

    Uganda

    • Twitter
    • LinkedIn
    Abstract Pattern 30

    Co-Principle Investigator

    Susan Elliott 

    University of Waterloo

    Canada

    • Twitter
    • LinkedIn
    Abstract Pattern 30

    Co-Investigator

    Katrina Plamondon

    The University of British Columbia

    Canada

    • Twitter
    • LinkedIn
    Bisung_Elijah.png

    Researcher

    Elijah Bisung

    Queen's University

    Canada

    • Twitter
    • LinkedIn
    Abstract Pattern 30

    Research Advisor

    Isaac Luginaah

    Western University

    Canada

    • Twitter
    • LinkedIn
    Karanja_Diana.jpg

    BioStatistician

    Joseph Kangmennaang

    Queen's University

    Kenya

    • Twitter
    • LinkedIn
    Karanja_Diana.jpg

    Masters Student

    Satveer Dhillon

    Western University

    Canada

    • Twitter
    • LinkedIn
    Kaburia_ Joan.jpg

    PhD Student 

    Joan Kaburia

    University of Waterloo

    Kenya

    • Twitter
    • LinkedIn
    Abstract Pattern 30

    PhD Student

    Cynthia Musah

    University of Waterloo

    Uganda

    • Twitter
    • LinkedIn
    Abstract Pattern 30

    PhD Student  

    Cornelius Dassah

    University of Waterloo

    Canada

    • Twitter
    • LinkedIn
    Abhudo_Bernard.jpg

    Project Manager

    Bernard Abudho

    Cohesu

    Kenya

    • Twitter
    • LinkedIn
    Abstract Pattern 30

    Account Manager

    Nelson Obando

    Cohesu

    Kenya

    • Twitter
    • LinkedIn
    Abstract Pattern 30

    Intern

    Tyler Tukamuhabw

    ROTOM

    Uganda

    • Twitter
    • LinkedIn
    Abstract Pattern 30

    Decision Maker

    Frederick Oluoch

    Director of Public Health

    Kenya

    • Twitter
    • LinkedIn
    bottom of page