The Institute for Global Health and Development

Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://eresearch.qmu.ac.uk/handle/20.500.12289/9

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Addressing the needs of women and girls on the move: Toward an inclusive, intersectional and culturally sensitive approach
(Making Aid Work, 2025) Pertek, Sandra; Sharma, Esther; Azasi, Esther
This briefing outlines the intersecting and complex needs of women and girls (hereafter referred to as women) on the move, aiming to support humanitarian efforts in developing inclusive, intersectional and culturally sensitive approaches to help improve their health and well-being. The document is based on a synthesis of evidence from various displacement settings and is intended for humanitarian and development practitioners, advocates and policymakers from a range of international and local organisations. The objectives of this briefing are: • To inform diverse humanitarian actors about displaced women’s intersecting and complex needs at different stages of forced migration • To inform the development of more inclusive humanitarian policy and programmes, encouraging more support for women on the move Displaced women’s needs vary based on their socio-economic and cultural backgrounds, but some specific gendered dimensions of needs relate to displaced populations in general across forced migrant routes. Vulnerability to harm and exclusion is based on factors such as gender, age, disability and other diversity factors. An intersectional lens recognises the diversity of experiences and identities which shape women’s needs and their vulnerability to discrimination in displacement that is determined by various social identity markers and power structures.1,2 To make aid work for women, it is essential to adequately adapt interventions across different stages of forced migration, based on the needs of diverse groups of women, in a culturally sensitive and inclusive manner. It is also important to provide specialist support to survivors of torture and sexual and gender-based violence, unaccompanied minors and other groups requiring assistance (for example, older women, women with disabilities and women from minority backgrounds).
Supporting the utilization of community-based primary health care implementation research in Ghana
(Oxford University Press, 2022-01-19) Awoonor-Williams, John Koku; Phillips, James F.; Aboba, Mathias; Vadrevu, Lalitha; Azasi, Esther; Tiah, Janet Awopole Yepakeh; Schmitt, Margaret L.; Patel, Sneha; Sheff, Mallory C.; Kachur, S. Patrick
Ever since the 1990s, implementation research in Ghana has guided the development of policies and practices that are essential to establishing community-based primary health care. In response to evidence emerging from this research, the Community-based Health Planning and Services (CHPS) policy was promulgated in 1999 to scale-up results. However, during the first decade of CHPS operation, national monitoring showed that its pace of coverage expansion was unacceptably slow. In 2010, the Ghana Health Service launched a five-year plausibility trial of CHPS reform for testing ways to accelerate scale-up. This initiative, known as the Ghana Essential Health Intervention Program (GEHIP), included a knowledge management component for establishing congruence of knowledge generation and flow with the operational system that GEHIP evidence was intended to reform. Four Upper East Region districts served as trial areas while seven districts were comparison areas. Interventions tested means of developing the upward flow of information based on perspectives of district managers, sub-district supervisors, and community-level workers. GEHIP also endeavored to improve procedures for the downward flow and utilization of policy guidelines. Field exchanges were convened for providing national, regional, and district leaders with opportunities for participatory learning about GEHIP implementation innovations. This systems approach facilitated the process of augmenting the communication of evidence with practical field experience. Scientific rigor associated with the production of evidence was thereby integrated into management decision-making processes in ways that institutionalized learning at all levels. The GEHIP knowledge management system functioned as a prototype for guiding the planning of a national knowledge management strategy. A follow-up project transferred its mechanisms from the Upper East Regional Health Administration to the Policy Planning Monitoring and Evaluation Division of the Ghana Health Service in Accra.
Understanding the needs and key determinants of maternal, newborn, and child health among migrants in transit: a scoping review
(Informa UK Limited, 2026-01-07) Azasi, Esther; Asamoah, Perfect E.; Diaconu, Karin
The global surge in migration has exposed pregnant women and children in transit to heightened risk of maternal and child health (MCH) challenges, driven by systemic barriers and unstable conditions. Evidence on how these transitory factors influence MCH remains limited. This scoping review examined the health needs and key determinants affecting migrant populations in transit, specifically pregnant women and children travelling from their countries of origin to their intended destination countries, with the aim of identifying major barriers and proposing strategies for improved health outcomes. We screened 1202 sources of evidence using five databases (PubMed, Scopus, Europe PMC, CINAHL, and Medline) as well as grey literature. Seven studies met the inclusion criteria. Data were drawn from peer-reviewed literature, charted using a standardized framework, and analysed thematically. Key barriers included financial constraints, language obstacles, and limited access to healthcare services. Although humanitarian organizations offered some support, significant unmet needs remain, including exposure to transactional sex, absence of respectful maternity care, and restricted access to essential health services. These challenges are exacerbated in conflict and crisis settings. The review underscores the importance of addressing key determinants, including location, language, financial capacity, and community support, to improve health outcomes for pregnant women and children under five on the move. This review recommends strengthening community mobilization, leveraging technology, and ensuring equitable access irrespective of users’ cultural or financial constraints.