We are pleased to share the latest three alumni case studies, this time focused on the CSC Development Theme: Access, inclusion and opportunity. They join the twelve individual case studies published earlier this year demonstrating the outcomes and impact of Commonwealth Scholarships on international development across the six CSC Development Themes.
Dr Tabeth Masengu co-submitted the first ever complaint on gender discrimination in the judiciary to the Commission for Gender Equality (CGE) in South Africa in 2012. Following the complaint, the Judicial Service Commission created a committee to scrutinise and advise on appointments and this has led to more transparency and accountability in the judicial appointment process, more women appointments and more engagement to address the challenges faced by women in Law.
Through her innovative research, Dr Dacia Latoya Leslie investigates issues on gender violence and identifies mechanisms for the re-integration of ex-prisoners and support for their child dependents, which has informed (and continues to inform) the justice system in Jamaica.
Based on his PhD findings, Dr Shadrach Dare co-founded an NGO (Dr Nana Health Initiative) with his PhD supervisor. Together, they have successfully improved the health outcomes of communities in the Upper East Region of Ghana through improved health care facilities and services, including in-service training provision for community health staff, improved community health infrastructure, vital medical equipment, and providing motorcycles as a means of transport for healthcare staff to deliver home services.
A big thank you to the alumni for sharing their development impact stories!
Promoting Gender Equality in the Judiciary and Legal profession in South Africa
‘Without my Master’s degree, I wouldn’t have had the knowledge
I had on women’s rights and gender, so I wouldn’t be where I am today without that knowledge. It helped me to create the mentorship programme, to start this novel project on women and to do regional advocacy work. I created the first ever gender transformation (gender diversity) project in the judiciary in South Africa. In 2012, I co-submitted the first ever complaint on gender discrimination in the judiciary to the Commission for Gender Equality (CGE) in South Africa. In 2016, the CGE’s Investigative report confirmed my allegations and issued wide ranging recommendations to improve gender representation in the judiciary and legal profession’ (Dr Tabeth Masengu, South Africa, Master of Laws degree in Human Rights, 2010)
Read Dr Tabeth Masengu’s Case Study
Improving Access, Inclusion and Opportunities for Socially Excluded Groups in the Caribbean Region
‘A PhD is a milestone that I could not have achieved at a fairly young age without financial support. The scholarship has enabled me to contribute to realisation of the United Nations 2030 agenda and the CSC Development theme of Access, inclusion, and opportunity through developing my monitoring and evaluation skills which are now used to support the measurement of sustainable development results in the Eastern Caribbean region and beyond. This is one of the most significant impacts of the intervention of the CSC in my life.’ (Dr Dacia Latoya Leslie, Jamaica, PhD in Criminology in 2016)
Read Dr Dacia Layota Leslie’s Case Study
Improving Health Outcomes in Underserved Communities in Ghana
‘The main benefit of my Commonwealth Scholarship was the ability to do my research in northern Ghana. Through this work, I understood how health services were delivered in these rural areas, and we found a real need for health initiatives. That is what sparked my interest in Dr Nana Gruer Health Initiative, an NGO that I co-founded in 2015 with my PhD supervisor. It has provided motorcycles as a means of transport for healthcare staff to deliver home services, distributes food supplements for children, and it offers clinical and logistical training for maternity care providers. Through my research, I was also able to establish a collaboration between researchers in Glasgow University, the University of Health and Allied Sciences in Hohoe in Ghana, and Navrongo, Kintampo and Dodowa Health Research Centres in Ghana.’ (Dr. Shadrach Dare, Ghana, MPH and PhD in Public Health, 2012 and 2014)
Read Dr Shadrach Dare’s Case Study
