Breathing Life into Equality

Investing in gender equity to enable a world where every child can live, breathe and thrive.

By Nicoletta Snellen, FREO2 International Programs, Communications & Advocacy Specialist

In July 2021, FREO2 launched a transformative 3-year Gender Equity Strategy in collaboration with our partners, Grand Challenges Canada and Kore Global. Our shared vision was to make advances towards FREO2’s mission and improve health outcomes for all genders through investment in sustainable development for gender equality (SDG-5). At FREO2, we believe that gender equality is not only a basic human right, but also an essential driver for improving global health outcomes. We recognise that in order to achieve our mission of improving access to oxygen to save lives and reduce health inequalities, we must address existing gender inequalities head-on. Therefore, we are committed to prioritising gender equity policy and strategy development across our organisation, to help cultivate a more equitable world for everyone.

Evidence has shown an undeniable interconnection between maternal and child health. Research by Save the Children, the Population Reference Bureau, and UNICEF demonstrates that the survival of newborns is intricately linked to the wellbeing of their mothers. Unfortunately, regions currently grappling with high rates of maternal mortality have also been shown to experience high rates of neonatal deaths. A nurturing environment for children cannot be provided if their mothers are deprived of happiness, good health, and empowerment necessary to care for them.

What we learnt:

FREO2’s Gender Equity Strategy took an evidence-informed approach, drawing insights from our in-depth environmental gender scan, business model reviews, and FREO2 feasibility analysis workshops. Through these endeavours, the FREO2 team identified four key organisational areas of focus for our strategy: Organisational Design and Structure; Product Design and International Development; Communications, Outreach and Advocacy; and Human Resources, Performance and Development.

We also actively engaged with local community health workers and mothers in Uganda and Tanzania to gain invaluable insights. These meaningful interactions allowed us to closely observe the challenges that many mothers encounter when seeking healthcare for their children. Here are just some of the key barriers we observed…

What we did and what we set out to achieve:

FREO2’s Gender Equity Committee has been meeting regularly to monitor the progress of our Gender Equity Strategy and gather insights. We are excited to report that FREO2 has accomplished all the objectives we set out to achieve by July 2023! As we continue working in this field, we look forward to gathering more insights to inform our next global Gender Equity Strategy.

Organisational Design and Structure
With the invaluable guidance of Kore Global and consultancy expertise in Human Resources, our Gender Equity Policy was collaboratively shaped alongside our Gender Equity Committee. The team also proactively developed an Inclusivity, Diversity, and Belonging Policy to help create an environment at FREO2 where everyone feels valued, respected, and empowered to contribute their unique perspectives and skill sets toward our shared mission.

Product and International Development
We’re thrilled to report that we’ve now introduced a new comprehensive gender equity module which has been incorporated into our clinical training process at FREO2. The module seeks to increase health worker awareness about the unique gender-based issues that impact health-seeking behaviour and support workers to identify and support victims of gender-based violence and marginalisation. We have piloted this training at in Tanzania, and look forward to gathering our learnings from these sessions.

We are delighted to report that we have successfully launched a new gender equity module, designed to be integrated into our clinical training process at FREO2. This module aims to enhance health worker awareness regarding the distinct gender-related challenges that influence health-seeking behaviour. Moreover, it equips them with the necessary tools to identify and provide support to individuals affected by gender-based violence and marginalisation. We have piloted the training modules at multiple sites in Tanzania and look forward to gathering our learnings from these sessions.

Acknowledging the diversity of health facility staff in the regions where we operate, FREO2 has embraced a human-centred design approach to support gender-inclusive product design and testing protocols. As a result, all our products have been optimised to cater to the needs of the 50th percentile woman, drawing upon anthropometric data obtained from "The Measure of Man and Woman" (Alvin R. Tilley, Henry Dreyfuss Associates, 1993). Moreover, our Innovation team is actively exploring gender-sensitive methodologies for developing new innovations, ensuring their accessibility and appropriateness across all genders. With this commitment we aim to ensure that our solutions truly meet the diverse needs of those we serve.

Communications, Outreach and Advocacy
In February 2022, we launched our gender equity communications and advocacy campaign, which began with the premiere of a gender equity podcast series. In the new 'Take a Breath with FREO2' series, Australian Broadcast Journalist Jennifer Hansen spoke with three incredible women (Umra Omar, Rebeca Gyumi, and Mercy Kafatakoza) who work in healthcare and advocacy to improve the lives of girls and women across Africa. The series received an excellent review on the Australian radio channel Smooth.91.5.

To listen to our series, click any of the above episodes!

*Pneumonia signs and awareness poster (English)*

Insights from our Environmental Scan have uncovered a significant trend among Ugandan and Tanzanian mothers who, in their desire to seek medical care for their children, often wait at home for their husband's consent. Recognizing the urgent need for empowering mothers with the necessary knowledge and resources to make prompt decisions and facilitate timely admission for oxygen therapy, we created a series of informative materials focused on pneumonia signs and awareness.

FREO2 has successfully distributed over 70 educational posters and 400 flyers (translated into local languages) across community health facilities and churches within the regions where we work.

Human Resources and Development
Two women in STEM industries have been employed into our FREO2 Uganda in the roles of Office Administrator and a Biomedical Engineer Intern. Alongside her role as Office Administrator, Ritah Kenyange has been working on various STEM projects and has successfully conducted a survey for a solar innovation in Uganda. In her role as a Biomedical Engineering Intern, Immaculate Asherure gained experience in maintenance, troubleshooting, and medical equipment installation.

A woman based in Kibera slum in Nairobi, Kenya has also been hired by FREO2 as a storyteller. The majority of Caroline Wairimu's education has been obtained through self-education since she left school at the age of 16. Her passion and skills in communications stood out and Caroline is now working to capture stories from mothers and children in Uganda and Tanzania.

FREO2’s onboarding program also now incorporates unconscious bias training for all new employees, contractors and volunteers. We have a module of educational materials on intersectionality, diversity, gender and race that is also compulsory for all staff.

What’s next?

We are delighted to announce that Kore Global has selected FREO2's Gender Equity Strategy into its showcase of exemplary non-profit gender strategies. FREO2 was also thrilled to present at the recent Grand Challenges Canada and Kore Global: GCC Gender Equality Community of Practice Conference.

Towards the production of our next Gender Equity Strategy, we look forward to further reviewing the outcomes of this 3-Year Strategy with our partners.