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ICRW opens Africa Regional Office
KAMPALA (Dec. 8th)—The International Center for Research on Women (ICRW) celebrated the opening of its new Africa Regional Office in Kampala, Uganda, today at a reception that also honored Kenyan researcher Eunice Muthengi, winner of the second annual Paula Kantor Award for Excellence in Field Research.
ICRW is an international research organization dedicated to advancing gender equality around the globe. Based in the United States, it has worked for 40 years with partners across sub-Saharan Africa to identify effective programs and strategies to improve the health and wellbeing of women and girls.
“We have such strong collaborative relationships with partners across the region,” said President Sarah Degnan Kambou. “It is only fitting that we establish a permanent presence here, led by our esteemed colleague, Stella Mukasa.”
Mukasa is a human rights lawyer and gender expert who previously led ICRW’s research in gender-based violence. She returned to Uganda in September to open ICRW’s regional office. ICRW also has an Asian Regional Office based in New Delhi, India.
“I am so pleased that I can lead ICRW’s work in the region from my home country,” said Mukasa. “I look forward to working even more closely with our colleagues who are leading efforts to end violence and improve the status of women and girls throughout the region.”
The Honorable Winnie Byanyima, executive director of Oxfam International and a member of ICRW’s Board of Directors, opened the reception and welcomed guests. She was joined by the Honorable Mutuuzo Peace, Minister of State for Gender and Culture.
Kenyan researcher Eunice Muthengi of the Population Council was also present to receive the second annual Paula Kantor Award for Excellence in Field Research. The award was created to honor the legacy of former ICRW researcher Paula Kantor, who was killed while working with International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center in Afghanistan in 2015. Dr. Kantor was a leading expert on gender issues in international development, whose work was driven by her passion to improve lives in the global south, especially those of women and girls.
Muthengi is a researcher with the Population Council in Kenya, leading investigations into effective strategies to improve the reproductive health, education and economic potential of adolescent girls. She is currently leading a school-based study to determine whether access to menstrual hygiene products and reproductive health education can improve girls’ schooling and health. Her objectives are always to identify those interventions that will bring positive change to girls, their communities, their future children and the nation as a whole.
“Eunice’s work truly embodies the spirit of Paula Kantor that we sought to honor with this award,” said ICRW President Sarah Degnan Kambou. “We see in her an exacting commitment to research and a deep understanding that this evidence is the base upon which strong policies and programs are built to improve the lives of adolescent girls.”
ICRW is the premier applied research institute focused on women and girls. In 2016, ICRW merged with the U.S. research organization Re:Gender (formerly the National Council for Research on Women) to create a global research platform. Headquartered in Washington, DC, with regional offices in India and Uganda, ICRW provides research and analysis to inform programs and policies that promote gender equality and help alleviate poverty.