Gender Transformative Framework for Nutrition: Practical Insights and Tools

The Global Nutrition Cluster (GNC), CARE Canada, and Save the Children Canada present.

Gender Transformative Framework for Nutrition: Practical Insights and Tools

This multilingual webinar took place on Wednesday, 29 October from 12:30 to 14:00 (CET/Geneva Time)

Watch recording in multiple languages 

• FACILITATORS: Miriam Chang, Senior Technical Specialist, Health and Nutrition at World Vision Canada | Megan Brown Wollenberg, Technical Support Specialist with the Global SMART Team at Action Against Hunger Canada | Victoria Sauveplane, Project Coordinator at University of Toronto.
• INTRODUCTORY REMARKS: Onome Ako, Chief Executive Officer of Action Against Hunger Canada | Dan Irvine, Global Director, Health and Nutrition with World Vision International
• PRESENTERS: Alison Riddle, PhD, Investigator at the Bruyère Health Research Institute and Adjunct Professor at the School of Epidemiology and Public Health, University of Ottawa | Ermias Mekuria, Senior Program Officer for Adolescent and Women’s Health and Nutrition at Nutrition International’s Ethiopia Office | Finian Ali, National Youth Coordinator for SUN Civil Society Youth Network in Nigeria and State Coordinator for the Civil Society SUN in Nigeria (CS-SUNN) | Maya Israeloff-Smith, Gender Equality and Inclusion Technical Specialist at CARE Canada | Sarah Anderson, Senior Gender Equality Advisor with Save the Children Canada | Jenna Hickey, Research Coordinator at the University of Toronto.

In this webinar, we explore how gender-transformative work is driving real impact in nutrition and health. This webinar features practical country examples from CARE Canada and Save the Children Canada, showcasing how the Gender Transformative Framework for Nutrition (GTFN) and the Systems-Based Thinking (SBT) tool are being applied in South Sudan and Yemen to strengthen equity, inclusion, and resilience.

Through case presentations and a panel discussion with implementing partners and members of the GTFN co-creation group, participants gained insights into what gender-transformative programming looks like in practice – and how it can shift systems, empower communities, and improve outcomes for women, men, and marginalized groups.

Participants gained:

• A clear understanding of why gender-transformative approaches matter for nutrition and health outcomes.
• Practical knowledge of how to apply GTFN and SBT tools in diverse contexts.
• Lessons learned and examples from South Sudan and Yemen that can inform their own work.
• Insights into what it takes to turn gender commitments into meaningful action across contexts.

🎧 The webinar recording is available with audio tracks in English, French, and Arabic.

Have questions? Email us at [email protected] and [email protected] 
 

Speaker bios

Miriam Chang has served in both technical advisor and program management roles in World Vision Canada, World Vision International Southern Africa Regional Office and World Vision Malawi for more than 15 years. Miriam holds a master’s degree in Nutritional Sciences and a certificate in International Development Management Studies. She has strong interest in innovations that improve the effectiveness of health and nutrition programming and in emerging cross-sectoral initiatives.  

Megan Brown Wollenberg has been working with Action Against Hunger Canada for over 4 years and is currently a Technical Support Specialist working with the Global SMART Team. Throughout her tenure at ACF, her work has covered gender equality and nutrition (wasting in emergencies) with technical input support for projects, technical documents for SMART methodology, and research. Her work also includes planning and coordination. She holds a Master’s of Public Health from the University of Toronto with a specialisation in women’s health in various public health research methods for health promotion. Megan is an active long-term member of the GTFN Coalition.

Victoria Sauveplane, MSc, is a trilingual Project Coordinator at the University of Toronto offering over 15 years of experience in the management and coordination of large-scale, concurrent projects and partnerships, with a particular focus in research and the humanitarian-development nexus. Her expertise includes quantitative survey design methodologies (namely SMART methodology) for the evaluation of nutrition and health interventions and for policy change in low- and middle-income countries, curriculum development, training & technical development, representation and coordination with Ministries of Health, national and international NGOs and UN agencies. Ms. Sauveplane has extensive experience with project management of large-scale grants and service contracts from a variety of institutional donors: Canadian Women’s and Child’s Health Partnership, ECHO, IDRC, Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance of USAID, Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency, Nutrition International and UNICEF. Ms. Sauveplane has provided trainings and developed written technical documents for quantitative field assessments and nutrition information systems in English, French and Spanish to diverse audiences. Ms. Sauveplane has also been a member of the World Health Organization’s Technical Expert Advisory Group on Nutrition Monitoring (TEAM) and the Global Nutrition Cluster’s Strategic Advisory Group. More recently, Ms. Sauveplane has led the development of global guidance on Nutrition Humanitarian Needs Analysis and assessments on Infant and Young Child Feed Practices in close consultation with the Global Nutrition Cluster Technical Alliance partners, and contributed to policy and technical briefs for the World Bank's initiatives to address health disparities and to reduce poverty among marginalized populations.

Onome Ako is the Chief Executive Officer of Action Against Hunger Canada. She brings her passion for community-led approaches to address one of the most fundamental human rights—the right to food—by tackling hunger and malnutrition globally. Onome has led initiatives in over 20 countries with organizations including Amref Health Africa, World Vision Canada, AfricaRecruit (a program of the Commonwealth), and UNESCO–Regional Bureau for Education.
She holds a B.A. in English from Obafemi Awolowo University, an M.A. in International Affairs and Diplomacy from Ahmadu Bello University, and an M.Sc. in Management of NGOs and Social Policy from the London School of Economics. She also holds the ICD.D designation from the Rotman School of Business, Toronto.
Onome serves as Chair of the Board of Directors of the Canadian Partnership for Women and Children’s Health (CanWaCH) and sits on the advisory committee for the International Development program at Centennial College. She was named to the 2020 Canadian Women in Global Health list and recognized as one of Canada’s Most Powerful Women: Top 100 in 2021. In 2022, she was named a Hero for Children by World Vision Canada and received their “Voice of the Children” award. Most recently, in 2023, she received the RBC Canadian Women Entrepreneur Award for her impact in Social Change.
Onome is also a published author. Her children’s book, I Am Cherished / Mon nom est Kikelomo, celebrates identity, belonging, and cultural pride. She is a co-author of Embracing Ambition, a leadership collaborative amplifying women’s voices in leadership.

Dan Irvine is World Vision International’s Global Director for Health and Nutrition, overseeing $400 million annually in sector investment.  World Vision invests $10 million of private funding every year to complement donor funding for expanded coverage of Community Management of Acute Malnutrition (CMAM), currently reaching nearly 200,000 children per year. Since 2010 World Vision has reached over 3 million women and children with CMAM service.  More broadly, World Vision invests $100 million per year in private funds across nutrition-direct initiatives such as support for growth monitoring and promotion, infant and young child feeding counseling, nutrition supply chain strengthening and social and behavior change interventions.
Dan has been an active member of the Wasting Advocacy Coalition since its inception, and is also a member of the Wasting Action Review Panel Taskforce.  He has served on numerous steering committees, including the Child Nutrition Fund, as Sherpa to the UN Every Woman Every Child Steering Committee, Global Schistosomiasis Alliance, the WHO-led Nurturing Care Framework, and Chair of the Ebola Vaccine Deployment, Acceptance and Compliance SC.  He has also directed his team in board representation at the Global Fund and GAVI. Dan is a passionate advocate for comprehensive Essential Nutrition Action delivery, which is inclusive of Wasting address, and encompasses the health system actions that equate to Wasting prevention.  

Alison Riddle, PhD, is an epidemiologist with 25 years of experience advancing gender equality and women’s empowerment in global health. She is an adjunct professor at the School of Epidemiology and Public Health at the University of Ottawa and an investigator at the Bruyère Health Research Institute. Her research focuses on the design, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of gender-transformative health and nutrition interventions for women and adolescent girls. Currently, she co-leads a Canadian Collaborative for Global Health Co-Lab, a project addressing gender and nutrition data gaps by operationalizing the Gender-Transformative Framework for Nutrition.
Dr. Riddle’s career includes extensive experience in global health policy, program management, and gender integration. At the Canadian International Development Agency (now Global Affairs Canada), she was a Senior Health Advisor, Gender Advisor, and Program Manager, leading strategic initiatives at headquarters and field offices. She also held management roles at the Public Health Agency of Canada and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance.
As a consultant, Dr. Riddle has led gender and health research for prominent organizations, including Action Against Hunger Canada, the Gates Foundation, Gavi, Nutrition International, UNICEF, USAID, and World Vision Canada. Her work spans gender analysis, feminist evaluation, and the development of measurement frameworks to integrate gender considerations into health and nutrition policies and programming.

Ermias Mekuria was born in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and is a seasoned public health professional with over two decades of experience in maternal, adolescent, and women’s health and nutrition. He holds a Master of Public Health in Epidemiology from Addis Ababa University (2010) and a BSc in Public Health from Debub University (2003).
Currently serving as Senior Program Officer for Adolescent & Women Health and Nutrition at Nutrition International’s Ethiopia office, he has led impactful initiatives since 2016. As the Gender Focal Point since 2021, he successfully coordinated the Sex and Gender-Based Analysis (SGBA) of the Adolescent Maternal Newborn and Child Health and Nutrition (AMNCHN) program across four regions and spearheaded the development of an integrated gender action plan grounded in SGBA findings. His previous roles span research coordination, zonal health leadership, and program management with both government and international partners.
He is married and a proud father of two boys.

Finian Ali is a dynamic Nutrition Advocate, Migration Scholar, and Development Research Fellow with over nine years of progressive experience working with local and international organizations. He is passionate about strengthening advocacy, policy communication, and community organizing to advance nutrition and social development in Nigeria.
Driven by a commitment to equity and inclusion, Finian focuses on amplifying youth voices, mobilizing grassroots action, and fostering community-led solutions to end malnutrition, particularly among marginalized and vulnerable populations.
He currently serves as the National Youth Coordinator for the SUN Civil Society Youth Network Nigeria, and the State Coordinator for the Civil Society Scaling Up Nutrition in Nigeria (CS-SUNN). Finian also plays an instrumental role in Nigeria’s Nutrition Governance, serving as a member of both the National Nutrition Technical Working Group (NNTWG) and the National Council on Food and Nutrition (NCFN). At the sub-national level, he contributes to policy coordination as a member of the Enugu State Committee on Food and Nutrition.
Finian holds a Master’s Degree in Migration Studies and a Bachelor’s Degree in Applied Biochemistry. Widely recognized for his energetic leadership, strategic thinking, and strong youth mobilization skills, he continues to be a leading voice in shaping Nigeria’s nutrition and development landscape.

Maya Israeloff-Smith has been working as a Gender Equality and Inclusion technical specialist at CARE Canada for over 4 years. She has a background in nutrition (BASc) and global health (MSc) and has worked as a nutrition specialist at ACF and UNICEF in East, West and Central Africa. She believes that advancing gender equality is essential for achieving nutrition outcomes. She loves to travel, hike, surf, learn new languages and cook. She is fluent in French and currently learning Spanish.

Sarah Anderson is the Senior Gender Equality Advisor with Save the Children Canada where she has worked for six years. Sarah manages a team of brilliant Gender Equality Advisors and is responsible for the organization’s gender equality portfolio and strategic initiatives. Sarah holds a Master’s Degree in Adult Education and Community Development (with a focus in global health and women’s rights) from the University of Toronto. Sarah has over 15 years of experience working in the international development industry, including with local and international feminist or women and girls’ rights organizations in different parts of Canada, Africa, and Asia. Sarah is based in Ottawa.

Jenna Hickey holds an MSc in Global Health Delivery from the University of Global Health Equity, where she graduated as valedictorian, and a BSc in Kinesiology from Queen’s University. Her research has explored the sexual and reproductive health barriers faced by marginalized communities, the intersection of gender and malnutrition and gender justice in humanitarian settings; leading to peer-reviewed publications and policy advocacy. She has held research and programmatic roles with UNDP, CARE Canada, Youth Challenge International, Education Development Center and other global health organizations, contributing to gender-focused health initiatives.
She is currently a Research Coordinator at the University of Toronto, managing a diverse portfolio of health policy and gender equity research initiatives and grants. With expertise in participatory action research, health program evaluation, and knowledge translation, she oversees research grants, ethical approvals, stakeholder engagement, and methodological development. Her work integrates feminist and co-creative approaches to produce evidence-based recommendations for policymakers and practitioners.