Wealth for Women in Africa (Call for Applications)

The Wealth for Women in Africa project invites applications from Early to Mid-Career Researchers and Policy Makers across Sub-Saharan Africa for an innovative online training program. This initiative is aimed at building capacity in mathematical modeling of depression and related mental health conditions among Adolescent Girls and Young Women (AGYW).

The Wealth for Women in Africa initiative is funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. It aims to equip participants with essential skills to develop data-driven interventions, influence policy and address mental health challenges.

It is an international collaborative initiative of members of faculty from the University of Ibadan, Nigeria, University of Warwick, Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA), Federal University, Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE) and Imperial College, London (ICL). The Wealth for Women in Africa programme features a co-designed, multidisciplinary integrated curriculum with courses in brain and mental health (with a focus on depression in adolescents and young women), mathematical and statistical modelling, spatial modelling, epidemiology, and gender studies.

More details about this program below:

Benefits

• Numerous case studies including opportunities for young women with a lived experience of mental illness including depression to share their stories.
• Action-oriented programme with a focus on developing skills in statistical and mathematical modelling of mental health as well as in knowledge translation to influence practice and policy.
• A blend of online lectures and one-on-one mentorship with world class experts from a range of relevant disciplines.
• Opportunity to work on a capstone research paper and policy brief as well as carry out policy advocacy on a topic of your own interest with support from programme faculty.
• A yearly in-person conference to meet expert and budding mathematical modelers from all over Africa.

On completion of this course, participants will have the ability to:

• Critically evaluate statistical and mathematical models of depression and mental health conditions.
• Develop and refine statistical and mathematical models of depression and related mental health conditions.
• Interpret and explain models to policymakers and non-modelers through written and oral communication.
• Advocate for evidence-based interventions and policy change to address mental health issues specifically affecting AGYW in SSA.
• Situate and operationalize all the above using a gendered lens.

Eligibility Criteria

To apply for the Wealth for Women in Africa programme, you need to fulfill the following criteria:

• A university degree or higher in a related field (e.g. health sciences, epidemiology, statistics, social sciences, public health, public policy, economics, gender studies etc.)
• Familiarity with survey research methods and analysis of nationally representative survey data
• Proficiency in conducting and interpreting statistical analysis and strong understanding of statistical concepts and research methodology.
• Working knowledge of at least one of the following data analysis software packages: STATA, SAS, SPSS, R
• Strong writing and communication skills.
• Ability to devote an average of 40 hours/month to the course.
• Affiliation to a university, research institution or government organization based in Cameroon, Eritrea, Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
• Preference will be given to applicants from Consortium for Advanced Research Training in Africa (CARTA) partner institutions and to graduates of the Centre for Child and Adolescent Mental Health (CCAMH) and the Department of
  Epidemiology and Medical Statistics, University of Ibadan.

Desirable Criteria:

• Prior work in mental health, brain health, non-communicable
  disease conditions and gender studies.

How to Apply

Submit your resume (include relevant educational and career experience, publications, awards, grants and any other information that will aid the selection committee to assess your candidacy) and a letter of application to: [email protected].

Application Deadline: January 3, 2025 @ 4 pm W.A.T.

Applicants of the Wealth for Women in Africa will undergo a selection process, and successful candidates will be awarded a full scholarship for the program.

For further information, kindly visit the application page of the Wealth for Women in Africa