Operationalizing gender transformative research principles: Draft guidelines for the Citizen Science Gender-Transformative Approach to Integrating Adolescent-Friendly Family Planning and Post-Abortion Care project (CAFFP-PAC)
Date
2026
Authors
Nassimbwa, Jacqueline
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Abstract
This project develops operational guidelines for Gender Transformative Research (GTR) to support the Citizen Science Gender-Transformative Approach to Integrating Adolescent-Friendly Family Planning and Post-Abortion Care (CAFFP-PAC) project in Northern Uganda. Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health (ASRH) is a significant public health challenge in the region, with rates of teenage pregnancy and unsafe abortion estimated to be 28% and 46% respectively, in just Lira District. This problem is deeply rooted in unequal gender norms and power relations. GTR offers a research framework to address these root causes by actively challenging the structures that perpetuate inequality, moving beyond mere inclusion.
This project employs a systematic document analysis, evaluating the CAFFP-PAC project design against four core GTR principles: grounding knowledge in lived experiences, using a complex intersectional understanding, challenging power at multiple levels, and maintaining an intentional, action-oriented design.
The analysis identifies strength in the CAFFP-PAC project’s innovative citizen science model that empowers adolescents, especially girls and other underserved groups, as co-creators of knowledge. However, it also highlights critical gaps, including an insufficient focus on transforming structural power dynamics, a lack of explicit mechanisms for full community ownership of the research process, and the absence of economic empowerment components to ensure sustainable change.
The primary contribution of this work is a set of ten practical, evidence-based draft guidelines (Annex 1) structured around the CAFFP-PAC project’s phases. These guidelines propose actionable recommendations to strengthen the project's transformative potential and help bridge the gap between GTR theory and the practical implementation of the CAFFP-PAC project.