Post Doctoral Research Fellow
UCD School of Nursing, Midwifery and Health Systems
Purity is a Postdoctoral fellow in UCD School of Nursing, Midwifery and Health Systems. Her research examines the social determinants of health with a focus on health equity, social justice, and empowerment. This work underpins the notion of inclusion which calls for identifying and addressing the barriers faced by disadvantaged groups in the access to resources, services, and opportunities.
Purity's work is influenced by her experiences growing up in Kenya and those gained working and travelling in various parts of the world. She has conducted research in Kenya, Ireland, Rwanda and the US.
Through her current research funded by the Irish Research Council, Purity is working with communities in Kenya to strengthen opportunities for dialogue between men and women about Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), while exploring culturally sensitive approaches for male involvement in FGM abandonment.
This work has helped to understand communities’ readiness to embrace change in terms of male involvement, men’s perspectives about FGM, and their own readiness to be involved in abandonment efforts. Importantly, my project has served to educate men about the negative impact of FGM on women and girls.
The lack of male involvement in fighting FGM and limited collaboration between men and women in the abandonment process have been linked to its continuation. Social-cultural and gender norms preclude male involvement as FGM is considered a woman’s issue. Purity's work explores communities’ readiness to involve men in fighting FGM, men’s readiness to be part of abandonment efforts, as well as women’s perceptions of men’s involvement.
She says, "Over the past three years I have been working with community members to co-design an innovative tool to promote men’s participation in FGM abandonment. This work has helped to understand communities’ readiness to embrace change in terms of male involvement, men’s perspectives about FGM, and their own readiness to be involved in abandonment efforts. Importantly, my project has served to educate men about the negative impact of FGM on women and girls."
Purity has published papers on the contextual factors facilitating male involvement in women's sexual and reproductive health in Sub-Saharan Africa and on lessons from anti-FGM/C advocates in rural Kenya around the promotion of locally led initiatives to fight female genital mutilation. Her most recent paper gathers insights on FGM and male involvement in Kenya.
She recently received a Fulbright Scholarship to to the Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science at the University of San Diego, California to undertake research looking at dementia and dementia care among African immigrants living in San Diego.
Read more about Purity in UCD School of Nursing, Midwifery and Health Systems' interview series celebrating inspirational women.