International Gender Equality School: Interview with Kalevera Imungu

Translation: Victoria Bakshina

International Gender Equality School is a department at the School of Humanities of the University of Iceland. The programme offers multidisciplinary studies that contribute to gender equality and social justice in conflict areas as well as areas where there is a need to establish stability in the wake of the conflict. The school is part of the GEST (Gender Equality Studies & Training Programme) - a knowledge center for development, GEST also includes the Geothermal Training Programme, the Fisheries Training Programme, and the Land Restoration Programme. The International Gender Equality School is a six-month-long programme at the master levels in international gender equality studies, and the school also provides grants for a doctorate. A total of 152 students from 25 countries have graduated from the school since it was founded 12 years ago.

Photo: Kristinn Ingvarsson

Has always been interested in women's rights and gender equality

Kalevera Imungu is one of the students of the International Gender Equality School. She has a degree in biochemistry from Kenyatta University but she says that she has always been interested in women's rights and gender equality, and has worked in the sphere of women's rights after graduation. She began working with Akili Dada, which contributes to the leadership skills of young African women. Later she worked at Femnet, a pan-African organization that first and foremost worked in the milieu of economic equality, along with many other important issues, e.g. funding of the feminist projects and access to safe abortions. Femnet took care of the whole continent and the tasks were quite many from the women's rights perspective.

Important to view the African continental free trade area agreement from all angles

Kalevera´s thesis at the International Gender Equality School will discuss in detail the African continental free trade area agreement (AfCFTA). She will examine how the policy can better take into consideration the views of women, mainly in Kenya, that are trading on the border. She says that one needs to examine women's safety in such situations and keep an eye on small businesses and retailers. On the borders situations occur that involve corruption and sexual abuse. The policy is also  influenced by the views of neoliberalism which are antifeminist and diametrically opposed to the pillars of feminism. Kalevera also points out that one needs to look at everything when it comes to the trade policy, not only at the considerations of large farms and factories but also the considerations of women as individuals. She believes that it is important to work on economic equality and says that the ones in power are often men who build their work on the misconceptions that they are the only ones with the knowledge of economic policymaking. This group is far from being the ones who are capable and in fact, anyone who is interested in economic equality and strategic planning can educate themselves on the matter,  and should be able to write about it and affect policy making. Kalevera has envisioned the results of the thesis to be some sort of a manual that civil societies can have on hand for policymaking and planning, along with the guidelines about economic equality. It would increase the understanding of what works well, what can be improved, and how the current retail and trade agreement affects the women who are trading on the border.

Good spirit in the school

Kalevera is satisfied with teaching and the work of the International Gender Equality School but would like to see more students start studying at the school in the coming semesters. She also proposes for the school to start offering the same studies at the master´s level, so that the students have a choice of whether they want to pursue a diploma or a full master´s programme. She is very happy with the teachers at the school as they are world-class in their field. According to Kalevera, there is a good spirit within the International Gender Equality School, especially among the students, who have formed a strong and tight relationship. The students come from many different countries and, consequently, get acquainted with gender dynamics within each country and different cultures through their fellow students. She says many countries face the same challenges, just in a different context.

May improve the mutual adaptation of immigrants and the Icelandic society

Kalevera enjoys living in Iceland, but the country could improve the integration of immigrants and the Icelandic society, especially when it comes to language, both within institutions and throughout the country. Kalevera says that since more and more people are immigrating to Iceland every year and choosing to live here, the authorities might need to consider some facilitation in mutual adjustment. One needs to find ways to facilitate the immigrants in creating connections and putting down roots in Iceland, while also working to find a solution to prepare Icelanders for the reception of people of foreign origin with an open mind.