Unveiling the Power of Gender Transformative Nutrition

Wednesday March 20th 2024 at 9:00 AM –10:30 AM / ET

Speakers

Abena Thomas-Mambwe – Scaling Up Nutrition Affiliate | World Vision

Gender Advisor for the Scaling Up Nutrition Secretariat. She has over 15 years of experience in infectious disease and maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health and nutrition programming. Previously she worked as Lead for Monitoring Evaluation Accountability and Learning (MEAL) for World Vision Canada, leading the development and implementation of the organization’s MEAL, Knowledge Management and Gender Equality, Empowerment and Human Rights frameworks. Abena also contributed to the development of the Gender Transformative Nutrition Framework (GTFN) and coordination of the GTFN coalition – a group of development actors and researchers committed to advancing gender-transformative approaches in nutrition. 

Dr. Alison Riddle – Bruyère Research Institute

 

Epidemiologist and gender equality and global health consultant with over 20 years of experience in the fields of gender equality, women’s empowerment, and global health. She is a former diplomat with the Canadian International Development Agency (now Global Affairs Canada) where she held positions as a Senior Health Advisor, Gender Advisor, and Program Manager at headquarters and abroad. She has also held management positions in policy and program management at the Public Health Agency of Canada and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. Her research focuses on the design and measurement of gender transformative health and nutrition interventions for women and adolescent girls. She is currently co-Principal Investigator of the Canadian Collaborative for Global Health Lab, Addressing gender and nutrition data gaps through the operationalization of the Gender-Transformative Framework for Nutrition. In addition to her research, Alison works as an independent Gender Equality and Global Health consultant supporting Canadian and international organizations to design, deliver, monitor, and evaluate gender transformative health programmes and policies. Her clients include the Action Against Hunger Canada, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Gavi, Nutrition International, UNICEF, USAID, and World Vision Canada.

Mr. Chandan Z Gomes – World Vision Bangladesh
 
Senior Director, Operations of World Vision Bangladesh. He has wide range of experience in transformational development, Advocacy, Program Quality, Humanitarian Affairs and project management – planning, leading and managing non-profit organization. More than two decades, he has been an integral and innovative part of World Vision Bangladesh history. Mr. Gomes debut as Advocacy Director in January 1, 2013 has bid the foundation stone of Advocacy department in WVB. His joining to the team is creating synergy of advocacy initiative both at national and internal level for upholding the status of women and children. He was spoke person on issues related to justice for children, Gender, Women in Leadership currently he is also a regular speaker on child rights issues with Bangladesh Television. Because of his outstanding performance at national level Advocacy field, he was also appointed as Director Advocacy and External Engagement for South Asia Regional Office.  About 34 years of experience in World Vision Bangladesh, Mr. Gomes served as Divisional Director, Strategic Program support and Advisory Services Group and has held numerous leadership roles in administration, operations and program and national strategy development. ADP Manager, Operations Coordinator at Child Survival Project and his entry level position was as Program officer.  

Christine Makena – Nutrition International 

Senior Program officer in charge of the Adolescent Health and Nutrition Program at Nutrition International (NI) Kenya Office. Her background is in nutrition and project management. She has 12 years of experience working in integrated food and nutrition programmes in development contexts. Christine has been engaged in implementing a variety of nutrition projects hence has a vast knowledge of working with different contexts in Urban, Peri-urban, rural and in the Arid and Semi-arid areas in delivering humanitarian assistance in domains of Food Security. She has rich experience in creating multisectoral linkages for food and nutrition security having worked in roles that required her to develop strategies of getting positive nutritional outcomes through agriculture, incomes, and women empowerment. 

Her current position at Nutrition International requires her to integrate both nutrition sensitive and specific interventions targeting adolescents to deliver a gender sensitive comprehensive nutrition package for adolescents that includes promoting positive behaviours on small scale food production, nutrition, WASH, menstrual hygiene management, life skills and Weekly Iron and Folic Acid for adolescent girls. Christine has been supporting integration of gender equality in NI programming in Kenya and has supported a Sex and Gender Based analysis, development of a Gender Action Plan, development of Gender BCI materials and Gender training. 

Deborah Ash – FHI 360

Dr. Ash has over 20 years of policy and research experience in multisectoral nutrition, including designing, managing and implementing large-scale global health and nutrition projects. As an experienced Chief of Party and Project Director, she has a proven track record of developing productive partnerships across a wide network of stakeholders grounded in strong management experience and collaborative leadership skills. For more than 15 years she has served in influential in-country technical assistance roles, working extensively with national governments and development partners in Africa (Ethiopia, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda) and South Asia (Afghanistan, Bangladesh and India). Dr. Ash has an exceptional track record of managing demanding results-driven projects combined with authoritative nutrition technical leadership.

Sarah Anderson – Save the Children Canada

Senior Gender Equality Advisor with Save the Children Canada (SCC) where she manages a team of brilliant Gender Equality Advisors and is responsible for SCC’s gender equality portfolio and strategic initiatives. In programming, Sarah has a special focus in gender-transformative nutrition, sexual and reproductive health and rights, and the prevention and response to child, early and forced marriage. Before working with SCC, Sarah worked with CARE Canada in a similar role. Before that, Sarah worked with local feminist and women’s rights organizations in rural Nova Scotia, Toronto, Rwanda and South Africa. Sarah is a proud feminist with a Master’s Degree in Adult Education and Community Development (with a focus in global health and women’s rights) from the University of Toronto. Sarah also holds a post-graduate certificate in International Development and Project Management from Humber College, and a Bachelor’s Degree in Anthropology and Development from Saint Francis Xavier University.

Matt Freeman – Stronger Foundations for Nutrition

Executive Director of Stronger Foundations for Nutrition, the philanthropic community working together to end global malnutrition.

Matt has previously held leadership roles in organizational strategy, innovation and partnership at social enterprise the One Acre Fund; media and technology non-profit the Girl Effect (spun out from the Nike Foundation); the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition; and the US Agency for International Development.

Matt has a law degree from the University of San Francisco and an undergraduate degree in Philosophy from UCLA.

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