Collaboration between ANSER and Kenya
On May 17th, the Africa Platform of the Ghent University Association gave a platform to UGent professors to pitch their research in Kenya.
Emilie Peeters (UGent) & Joyce Omwoha (Technical University of Kenya) were honored to present ANSER activities to Kenya.
Emilie Peeters introduced the Academic Network on Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights Policy (ANSER) and gave three examples of what has been done specifically in collaboration with the Kenyan partners. First, the bi-annual ANSER Doctoral School that will be co-organized for the 2nd time in collaboration with representatives from the Technical University of Kenya and the University of Nairobi in October 2022. Second, different activities were carried out to inform policy makers on Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting (FGM) and the medicalization of it. Through a knowledge clip and a policy paper, several ANSER members worked together to inform policy makers on this complex issue. And third, a joint study ADAPT was done to compare the Kenyan and Ugandan situation in SRHR policies for adolescents.
Joyce Omwoha presented her perspective on ANSER as a Kenyan partner. She noted that ANSER’s partnership with the Global Mind Fund was a stepping-stone towards her securing a Short Research Stay Fellowship at ICRH. She also noted that ANSER has provided an avenue for interdisciplinary collaboration, where, in her ongoing research on adolescent sexuality and discourses on Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE), she intends to collaborate with academics who are ANSER members from other universities. ANSER’S interdisciplinary collaboration also enabled Joyce to publish as one of the authors of a recent publication in the Reproductive Health Journal titled ‘A comparative human rights analysis of laws and policies for adolescent contraception in Uganda and Kenya’.
The delegation from the Kenyan embassy was led by Mr. Evans Maturu, the Deputy Head of Mission. Accompanying him were Mrs. Peris Litunya, the Education Attaché, Mr. Weston Mbae, the immigration Attaché, and Josephine Njambi, the 2nd Secretary. H.E. Kenya’s Ambassador to Belgium, Prof. Jacob Kaimenyi, wrote a speech, focusing on global education and research networks that UGent has formed; commending the efforts of Ghent University and its Kenyan partners for their excellence in these areas.
