Kathryn Toure

Regional Director, Eastern and Southern Africa Regional Office

IDRC

Dr. Kathryn Toure serves, from Nairobi, as Regional Director for Canada’s International Development Research Centre (IDRC). Her publications, in collaboration with others, use sociocultural and historical lenses to share perspectives and lived experiences across generations.

Her commitments to social justice, women’s empowerment, and shifting narratives are part of her work with youth, elders, educators, researchers, refugees, and policymakers. Her bachelor’s was in Political Science, and she studied African history and literature at the University of Abidjan. Her doctoral studies in education through the University of Montreal focused on how African educators creatively and strategically appropriate digital technologies.

Event Schedule

DAY 1

20 July 2023

Start Time	End Time	Session	Description	Action
12:30 pm EEST	02:00 pm EEST	Balancing access to care and care responsibilities among women healthcare workers: Breaking down international evidence and solutions for communities, families and women. Side Event Kigali Convention Center - Room MH 1-1	Healthcare work has long been disproportionately shouldered by women, both professionally and privately in less formal settings. Globally, the pandemic and its response Read More Healthcare work has long been disproportionately shouldered by women, both professionally and privately in less formal settings. Globally, the pandemic and its response measures have put an increased care demand and pressure on women health workers not only as first responders at work but also in their homes and communities. The situation was exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic and remains a challenge as we transit out of the pandemic. Care work, paid and unpaid, remains undervalued and is mainly considered the responsibility of women. Nonetheless, it is the backbone of the economic, social and health wellbeing of families and communities. Globally, 70% of the health workforce is comprised of women. Evidence shows that health systems are insufficiently responsive to women’s specific health needs and yet are highly dependent on them as providers of care. Female health workers face multiple challenges as they seek to improve and sustain their mental and physical health and socioeconomic wellbeing. This interactive panel discussion brings together a diverse group of global health actors to describe insights from their research and share experiences about creating more equality for women in healthcare and thus improve health systems. The dialogue will explore the complex interlinkages among gender, power relations, women’s health, and care work. This session is organized by the Women RISE Initiative, a partnership between Canada’s International Development Research Centre (IDRC), the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC). Read Less Speakers Claude Mambo Muvunyi Director General Rwanda Biomedical Center Kathryn Toure Regional Director, Eastern and Southern Africa Regional Office IDRC Lisa Avery Assistant professor, Director, Africa Initiatives Institute for Global Public Health, University of Manitoba Muriel Ametoglo Regional Gender and Economic Policy Specialist UN Women