In Nigeria, both mothers and fathers are welcome to attend Jhpiego’s group antenatal care classes, in an effort to promote gender equality. Kasuwa Sunday and her husband Luka Sunday play with their 7-month-old daughter Mercy in Nasawara State.

Image caption: In Nigeria, both mothers and fathers are welcome to attend Jhpiego’s group antenatal care classes, in an effort to promote gender equality. Kasuwa Sunday and her husband Luka Sunday play with their 7-month-old daughter Mercy in Nasawara State.

Credit: Paul Joseph Brown/Jhpiego

Jhpiego rated 'high performer' on gender equality issues

Jhpiego, a nurse-led nonprofit global health leader and Johns Hopkins University affiliate, has been recognized for prioritizing workplace gender equality with the citation of "high performer" in the 2021 report by Global Health 50/50, an independent research initiative at the University College London Centre for Gender and Global Health.

Gender equality: Flying blind in a time of crisis, which reviews the gender-related policies and practices of 201 organizations active in the global health sphere, rates Jhpiego among the top 20% of organizations reviewed. Notably, this new report examined organizations' engagement in the public health response to COVID-19 as well as measurement of progress since 2019 on key policies to promote equity and dignity in the workplace.

"COVID-19, which has revealed itself as anything but gender-neutral, has made our work more challenging and vital than ever," says Jhpiego President and CEO Leslie Mancuso. "It's especially gratifying in the midst of this pandemic that Jhpiego's ongoing efforts and achievements are celebrated as exemplary."

The 2021 report, released March 8, compares and contrasts pay and power gaps across a range of global health entities, including development institutions, philanthropic and faith-based organizations, nongovernmental organizations, and public-private partnerships. By sharing its findings, Global Health 50/50 aims to foster change and contribute to a more gender-equal global health sector that works for everyone.

"Our organization, programs, and policies reflect a continuous and overarching commitment to bring about transformative change in gender equality and health equity," Mancuso says. "But our aim always is to do better. By revealing shortcomings as well as strengths of organizations working across the global health landscape, Global Health 50/50 challenges and inspires us to work even harder on behalf of those we serve, and those who serve them: namely nurses and midwives, most of whom are female and are responsible for delivering the bulk of hands-on health care across the globe."

Jhpiego works in 14 countries across Africa and Asia to promote leadership opportunities for women health providers and guide health ministries in developing policies and programs that meet those needs. Among two key initiatives of Jhpiego are the updated Gender Analysis Toolkit for Health Systems and the Gender Transformative Leadership package launched last year.

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