Equity Means More Than Fairness in Fighting Disease

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Equity. The word brings up images of fairness and equality, and in Rwanda, it’s the law. On paper, at least, women are equal to men in Rwanda.

Of course, like in so many other cases, the reality is a little different. But the Community One Health Empowerment in Rwanda (COHERS) project is working, one town, one community, and one village at a time to change that. COHERS is led by Veterinarians Without Borders North America (VWB) and implemented in Rwanda in partnership with the University of Global Health Equity (UGHE), with funding from Global Affairs Canada.

Ruth Zihiga Uwase, of UGHE in Kigali, coordinates the COHERS project there and finds that when men and women try swapping roles, they are more effective at fighting zoonotic diseases such as cysticercosis, or porcine tapeworm. This parasite infects pigs and can cause epilepsy and other symptoms in people who slaughter pigs, clean their pens, or eat contaminated pork.

For many, the idea behind gender roles often makes sense – to divide and conquer. But, as Uwase explains to One World, One Health, when everyone has a more complete picture of the problems that need solutions, everyone can apply their own particular expertise to finding a solution.

Listen as she talks about what she has found as she persuades people to challenge gender roles to fight disease.