International Development Week highlights global research and collaboration at USask – News

IDW is an annual event that occurs during the first week of February and recognizes the efforts of organizations and individuals working towards achieving the United Nation’s (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Pact for the Future. The theme this year is “Building a Better World Together.” 

“The members of USask’s Africa Researchers Group are celebrating individuals, communities and academic institutions we collaborate with by showcasing both recently completed and ongoing projects across the African continent,” said Meron Johnston, project director for the One Health Community Partnership Project (OHCP). Johnston is one of more than 30 USask faculty members and staff involved in these efforts. These projects are implemented in collaboration with partners in Benin, Ghana, Ethiopia, Kenya, South Africa, Uganda, Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Mozambique, Rwanda, and Senegal. 

The Africa Researchers Group was established following an event organized by USask’s International Office for IDW 2024 and in celebration of Black History Month. The event highlighted USask’s current collaborations in Africa and facilitated new connections among researchers already working in—or were interested in—working in Africa. The group emerged and now meets monthly, growing in engagement and continued collaboration. 

The projects undertaken by the Africa Researchers Group primarily focus on five of USask’s key Signature Areas of Research: Agriculture, Communities and Sustainability, Health and Wellness, One Health, and Water. These projects also contribute to 11 of the 17 SDGs. 
 
Agriculture:  
 
The Pulses of Pulses: A journey of 25 years  
This collaboration between USask and Hawassa University in Ethiopia is working to address agriculture, food security, climate and community challenges. 
Dr. Carol Henry (PhD), Dr. Susan Whiting (PhD), Dr. Dereje Getahun (PhD) 

Modernizing Agriculture in Ghana  
This collaborative project aims to modernize agriculture in Ghana through training and education. 
Dr. Mary M Burh (PhD) 

Nutrient Stewardship in West Africa  
Through soil analysis, geographic information systems and knowledge transfer, this project aims to increase sustainable agricultural practices to help Sub-Saharan African countries’ food production. Dr. David Natcher (PhD) and Dr. Derek Peak (PhD) 

Novel Recombinant Vaccine for Control of CBPP in African Cattle  
This project aims to protect cattle herds in Kenya with new vaccine development.  
Dr. Jose Perez-Casal (PhD) 
 
Communities and Sustainability: 
 
Strengthening Instructional Leaders’ Capacity for Practitioner-Oriented and Technology-Mediated Educational Research  
This collaborative project aims to enhance education in Kenya by equipping practitioners with research skills for education that supports sustainable development. 
Dr. Janet Okoko (PhD) 

Monitoring and Evaluating Climate Communication and Education (MECCE) Project  
A collaborative project that includes hundreds of scholars and agencies to advance climate change communications across the globe. 
Dr. Marcia McKenzie (PhD) 

TRANSECTS – Transdisciplinary Education Collaboration for Transformations in Sustainability  
This project is facilitating International, transdisciplinary research training across South Africa, Germany and Canada that increases knowledge sharing between the global north and south. 
Dr. Maureen Reed (PhD) 

Mobile Libraries and Literacy for Climate and Reproductive Justice: Action Research with Youth in Rural Northern Ghana 
This research project focuses on delivering information on climate change and reproductive justice to rural youth using mobile libraries. 
Dr. Jacob Alhassan (PhD) 
 
Health and Wellness: 
 
Mozambique-Canada Maternal Health Project  
This project is aimed at reducing maternal and newborn mortality in Mozambique by strengthening health systems and community engagement. 
Dr. Nazeem Muhajarine (PhD), Dr. Jessie Forsyth (PhD) 

Understanding the Determinants of Flourishing Among Adolescents in Uganda: Linking Physical, Mental, Cultural, Economic and Social Dimensions through a Gender-Transformative Lense  
An international collaboration aimed at engaging adolescents in Uganda to understand how human flourishing shapes healthy and productive lives. 
Dr. Susan Flower-Kerry (PhD), Dr. Carol Henry (PhD), Dr. Jessica Lieffers (PhD), Dominic Shofield 

Mental Health Awareness among African Youth  
A collaboration between African scholars, Kenyan youth and USask researchers to increase mental health awareness among African youth in Kenya. 
Dr. Sithokozile Maposa (PhD) 

Training Program for the Implementation of Mental Health Legislation in Africa: Nigeria as a case study 
This project aims to educate professionals on mental health legislation in Nigeria while addressing stigma. 
Dr. AG Ahmed (MBBS), Dr. Mansfield Mela (MBBS), Dr. Mariam Alaverdashvili (PhD) 

Unveiling the Silence  
This project aims to improve access to sexual and reproductive health services for Kayayei (Head Porters) in Ghana. 
Dr. Solina Richter (PhD), Dr. Cara Spence (PhD) 

Reducing HIV Related Stigma in School Children: Multilevel Arts-Based Population Level Intervention  
The goal of this project is to reduce HIV stigma among Ugandan school children through traditional ways of knowing. 
Dr. Geoffrey Maina (PhD) 

Post-operative Pain Control in a Teaching Hospital in Kigali, Rwanda: an Observational Study  
Researchers are looking to assess post-operative pain management in Rwanda. 
Dr. William McKay (MD), Dr. Shefali Thakore (MD) and Darcie Earle 
 
One Health: 
 
One Health Community Partnerships (OHCP) Project  
This highly interdisciplinary project includes partners from Ghana, Uganda and Ethiopia and is looking to improve community health and equitable One Health empowerment for women and girls in rural communities. 
Dr. Claire Card (PhD, DVM), Dr. Gordon Zello (PhD), Dr. Corinne Schuster-Wallace (PhD), Dr. Susan Kerry-Fowler (PhD), and Meron Johnston 
 
Water: 
 
Water Security to Promote Gender Equity and Climate-Change Resilience in West Africa  
Working with partners in West Africa, this project looks to enhance local and global research capacity for water security and gender equity. 
Dr. Sabine Liebenehm (PhD) 

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