Today, on International Women’s Day, Dr. Ingrid Estelle Tefang is busy supporting Nigerian refugee women in Northern Cameroon. These women are fleeing armed violence or are displaced by more insidious violence – that of inflation or climate change and related disasters that destroyed their crops. They arrive at the Minawao camp – many on foot, many without food, and many with very little but their children on their backs – seeking safety and sustenance.
Worldwide, at least two-thirds of women and adolescent girls – over a billion people – suffer from undernutrition, anemia, or micronutrient deficiencies. This puts them at greater risk of developing diseases, and girls and women face more barriers in accessing health information and lifesaving services like immunization than men. Social and cultural norms, and the unequal status of women in many societies, can lead to girls’ health receiving the least priority and prevent mothers from being able to take their children to get vaccinated. This double jeopardy of disproportionately suffering from malnutrition and not having equal access to health care perpetuates a cycle that prevent women and girls from reaching their potential.
Canadian policies recognize that by supporting the needs of women and girls, including their healthcare, we can effectively fight poverty and global instability. Recent research shows that aid supporting health equity, and gender equality allow countries affected by conflict and instability to move toward peace. Furthermore, ignoring the gender health gap costs the global economy $1 trillion a year!
Canada's Feminist International Assistance Policy cemented our country's reputation as an ally of women's and children's rights. Our commitment towards women’s health crosses party lines, as demonstrated by the Muskoka Initiative on Maternal, Newborn and Child Health launched by the previous Conservative party-led government. However, women and children are bearing the brunt of multiple crises and we can and must step up and do more.
In recent years, the international cooperation sector has recognized the need to support solutions rooted in national realities, and to transfer power to affected communities and their governments. From a feminist perspective, this means listening to affected women and dismantling power inequalities by actively supporting those who respond to their needs.
According to Dr Tefang, one effective solution is to support multilateral initiatives working on the ground in global health. Agencies such as Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, the Global Financing Facility, and the Global Polio Eradication Initiative can act as catalysts, supporting local capacity- building, national investment, and breaking down gender barriers to strengthen health systems.
More specifically, she explains that funding to proven mechanisms like Gavi, can support vaccination for Human papillomavirus (HPV) – which causes the greatest risk of cervical cancer – and the training of healthcare workers to combat misinformation. In addition, Cameroon recently became the first country to integrate the vaccine for malaria, which affects women, particularly during pregnancy, and is associated with maternal anemia, into its routine program. With Gavi's support, many other countries will be able to curb the spread of this deadly disease.
Another intervention, Vitamin A supplementation, is important because when it is administered to young children or their mothers during breastfeeding, it helps to protect vision and strengthens immune systems. What's more, as Dr Tefang has found in her area of intervention, it is effective to screen for malnutrition during vaccination sessions. This integration approach allows women to access two essential services at once, a game-changer for those who live in hard-to-reach or underserved communities.
Canada’s ability to deliver on its commitments will be reflected in the upcoming Federal budget to be release in mid-April. In the coming year, Canada will have several opportunities to support nutrition and immunization for women and their children:
International Women's Day shouldn't be the only time we show solidarity with our sisters around the world. At a time when our world is marked by multiple crises, such as those experienced by the women of Minawao, it is countries like Canada that have the power to put equality into practice.
