Africa Women Health Champions to improve health and gender equality

The World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme have launched a new initiative: the Africa Women Health Champions.

The partnership seeks to recruit 100 women to support WHO in improving people’s health and well-being in the region, while also promoting gender equality on the continent.

African countries and WHO are redoubling their efforts to strengthen people’s health and well-being in a region with some of the highest rates of disease in the world. With the Africa Women Health Champions, UNV and WHO will recruit early-career women professionals to promote health across the 47 countries where WHO is present on the continent.

“Together, we are opening the doors for 100 women professionals to join WHO offices across Africa as UN Volunteers. And these new colleagues will be the agents of change and champions of Africa’s healthy future,” said Toily Kurbanov, UNV Deputy Executive Coordinator.

“In the coming months we will recruit 100 national and international UN volunteers in the African Region, and we will be targeting young women from the global south to boost equity and empowerment,” said Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa.

At a time when the 25th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration for women’s rights was marked, many obstacles remain in the path towards an equal world. This initiative will be one step forward in advancing gender equality in Africa and beyond.

Since 1973, WHO has been partnering with UNV to provide basic social services, primary health care and combat diseases through awareness and prevention.

Original source: UNV
Published on 16 March 2020