This is only a workbook for now. The dream is bigger.
The Women of African Origin (WoAO) project is a science and data dream for our generation of African women. A dream that one day, when we search for information about our health, we’ll find data-driven conclusions drawn from research that reflects us: our genetics, our environment, our food systems, and our lived realities.
Here’s why:
The existing mainstream research on women’s health has made some progress, but among its shortcomings, it falls short when it comes to granular, disaggregated data about women of African origin.
We need to understand how our group-specific characteristics shape our health outcomes, whether those differences are driven by biological, environmental, or cultural factors. I want to know that the advice I’m given has been proven fitting for my body, that my local food, my climate, my stressors, and my physiology have been taken into account. Many of us have found what works for us individually, but what if we could document this and identify patterns that could help millions more?
The first step is gathering the data.
This workbook and the spreadsheet template are our starting points. The next step might be an app, but we don’t need high-tech solutions to get going.
Start here.
Track what goes into your body. Note how your body responds. Let’s collect this data ourselves and uncover what it reveals. Let’s stop letting researchers say, “there’s insufficient evidence.” Let’s build the evidence.
- Download the workbook and join the network. This keeps us motivated and aligned and helps refine what we’re collecting.
- Support the cause. We need people to do this work:
- Data scientists/ analysts – to identify and interpret trends and patterns
- Data collectors – to gather structured data
- Health practitioners – to provide insight and possibly connect to lab-level verification
- Writers and communicators – to translate findings into accessible formats for the public
- Developers – to build tools that protect and manage the data of women of African origin
With just 10 – 20 hours a month, we can make consistent progress until the data clearly and undeniably reflects our reality.
Links:
Workbook: A Google Sheets workbook that you can copy for your entries.
Network: Form for you to drop your WhatsApp number so you can be added to the group.
To contact us, we are reachable by email at hello@theconcernedgirlfriends.com and we are on Instagram @theconcernedgirlfriends.