Canada has announced over $200 million for 15 projects under the “Strengthening Opportunities in Accessing Reproductive Services” (SheSOARS) initiative in more than 18 countries, with a focus on Africa, The New Times, Rwanda’s largest daily newspaper, reported Sunday.
These projects, according to the Canadian-based International Development Research Centre (IDRC), are being implemented through global, multilateral, and Canadian civil society organizations and are part of Canada’s 10-year Commitment to Global Health and Rights.
Canada also announced over $30 million for two new projects that support paid and unpaid care work, to unlock women’s ability to participate more fully in the economy, in education, and in public life. They are part of the country’s landmark $100-million commitment to support care work.
The funds come days after the Women Deliver Conference in Kigali, Rwanda expressed the need to address unpaid care work which disproportionately affects women more than their male counterparts.
In one of the sessions held at the Women Deliver Conference on balancing access to care and care responsibilities among women healthcare workers, Kathryn Toure, regional director of the Eastern and Southern Africa Regional Office IDRC, hinted on Canada releasing the funds and said that the investment would assist develop the care economy and foster the development of more compassionate communities.
She precisely pointed out that women in healthcare professions have dual caring obligations as both at work and at home.
“Women make up over 70% of the world’s human health resources in the form of health care professionals, putting them at a significant risk of getting diseases and straining their mental health due to their job in public and private care settings and of those only 25% of global health leaders are in the workforce,” Toure said.
She added that the majority are volunteer healthcare workers, “meaning this is also an issue we need to deal with.”
Speaking at the same event, the Acting Division Manager for Maternal, Child and Community Health at Rwanda Biomedical Centre Hassan Sibomana also discussed the importance of balancing access to care and care responsibilities among women healthcare workers.