Arise&Win Project

On International Women’s Day 2026, we celebrate the strength, resilience, and determination of self-employed young women in Ibadan and across Nigeria. The ARISE&WIN Project listened carefully to women’s stories about the realities of running small businesses while navigating major life challenges, including economic shocks, health emergencies, and caregiving responsibilities. These experiences show clearly that economic empowerment and mental well-being are closely connected. Access to knowledge, resources, and supportive networks strengthens women’s businesses while also improving confidence, well-being, and dignity.

Today, we celebrate the women whose voices shaped this research and whose resilience continues to inspire change.

When women rise, we all win.

Watch the video here: https://youtu.be/SvQZeJhxRwc




&WIN

International Women's Day 2026: When Women Rise, We All Win! On International Women’s Day 2026, we celebrate the strength, resilience, and determination of self-employed young women in Ibadan and across Nigeria. The AR...

Celebrating Prof. Srividya Iyer on this occasion of her birthday!

Today, we celebrate Prof. Srividya Iyer on the occasion of her birthday, and we do so with deep gratitude for her scholarly leadership, generosity of spirit, and partnership that made the IDRC-funded Advancing Resiliency in Self-Employed young Women in Nigeria (ARISE&WIN) Project a possibility.

ARISE&WIN would not have come to life without Prof. Iyer reaching out to me shortly after the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) funding call was released. That single act of initiative marked the beginning of what became a collaborative, cross-continental partnership. We worked together to intentionally build the Nigerian and Canadian research teams, aligning expertise, values, and a shared commitment to advancing the aim of our project.

From the outset, Prof. Iyer has made great contributions to the ARISE&WIN project. When the project kicked off, she attended our monthly stakeholder meetings and consistently offered thoughtful, rigorous, and constructive contributions. Her engagement sharpened our thinking, strengthened our methodological choices, and directly improved outcomes across project design, implementation, and learning.

One of Prof. Iyer’s most enduring contributions was her suggestion of digital storytelling as a methodological and knowledge-translation tool within the ARISE&WIN Project. She not only floated the idea but actively supported its realisation, introducing the team to StoryCenter in Oakland, CA, USA. Through this connection, two members of the ARISE&WIN team, Dr. Opeyemi Ajibola, Postdoctoral Fellow, and Oluwaseun Abimbola, Communications and Research Uptake Manager, received foundational capacity-building training in digital storytelling. This investment enabled the production of 10 powerful digital stories that capture the lived experiences and resilience of self-employed young women navigating significant and disruptive life events. These stories have become a valuable project output, strengthening learning, policy engagement, and broader conversations on resilience and recovery.

Prof. Iyer’s contributions to the ARISE&WIN Project sit within a wider body of internationally recognised scholarship and leadership in youth mental health. In 2023, she was awarded the Royal-Mach-Gaensslen Prize for Mental Health Research, a prestigious national Canadian award recognising outstanding rising-star researchers under 45 whose work demonstrates scientific excellence and real-world impact. She also holds a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Youth, Mental Health and Learning Health Systems, one of Canada’s highest academic research appointments, reflecting sustained excellence and international leadership. In 2022, she was shortlisted as a finalist for the Top 25 Canadian Immigrant Awards, recognising exceptional contributions to Canadian society. Her broader academic honours include induction into the Royal Society of Canada’s College of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists, as well as institutional recognition from McGill University, including the Principal Prize for Outstanding Emerging Researchers and the Maude Abbott Prize for outstanding female faculty.

These honours validate not only the rigour of Prof. Iyer’s scholarship but also the depth of her commitment to research that is collaborative, participatory, and grounded in real-world impact.

On behalf of the ARISE&WIN team, I extend my deepest appreciation to Prof. Vidya Iyer for her vision, consistency, intellectual generosity, and partnership.

Happy Birthday, Prof. Iyer. We are truly grateful for you.

Olayinka Omigbodun FAS
Professor of Psychiatry,
Principal Investigator, Advancing Resiliency in Self-Employed Young Women in Nigeria (ARISE&WIN) Project &
Director, Centre for Child and Adolescent Mental Health (CCAMH), University of Ibadan

Video Alert: The ARISE&WIN Team participates in the WomenRISE End-of-Project Meeting in Kenya

We have a throwback video recap of the ARISE&WIN team’s participation in the WomenRISE End-of-Project Meeting, held from February 3–5, 2025, in Nairobi, capturing moments from key presentations, panel discussions, and collaborative exchanges with fellow research teams. It highlights ARISE&WIN’s contributions to conversations on the gendered impact of COVID-19 on women’s work and well-being, while reflecting the spirit of shared learning, partnership, and collective reflection that defined the three-day convening of WomenRISE researchers in Kenya.

Watch the full video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0YLyn9a-WWg

Reflecting on an Uncharted Journey of Discovery, Innovation, Uncertainty and Learning the Art of Co-Producing Solutions for Self-Employed Young Women in Nigeria

Our final newsletter for the year 2025 is now available!

"Although the funding period for the ARISE&WIN Project officially concluded in March 2025, the journey of ARISE&WIN continues at the Centre for Child and Adolescent Mental Health (CCAMH) at the College of Medicine, University of Ibadan. If anything, the ARISE&WIN journey to take our evidence into Policy and Practice is just starting and needs all the strength and support we can muster. We are at the critical period of writing up the findings from the research project and putting together our manuscripts and policy briefs. We also continue to explore other dimensions of women’s health and livelihood. We remain resolute in leading gender-transformative initiatives and providing a solid evidence base for interventions that improve the lives of self-employed young women in Nigeria." - Professor Olayinka Omigbodun, Founding Director, Centre for Child and Adolescent Mental Health, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan

We invite you to read it all here: https://mailchi.mp/94abe2d794c6/i287rd8trf

We wish you a productive 2026. Happy New Year!

Presentation at the Canadian Conference on Global Health 2025

Iyeyinka Kusi-Mensah, the Lead Post-Doctoral Fellow of the “Understanding the Gendered Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Young Self-Employed Nigerian Women and Co-Producing Solutions that Foster Better Systems and Wellbeing” branded as “Advancing Resiliency in Self-Employed young Women in Nigeria” represented the research team at the 2025 Canadian Conference on Global Health themed “Navigating the Path Forward: Advancing Global Health in a Changing World” holding in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada from October 24 to 28. The conference is bringing together researchers, practitioners, policymakers, community organizers and students to reflect on how to advance health equity for all.

Iyeyinka Kusi-Mensah, the Lead Post-Doctoral Fellow of the “Understanding the Gendered Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Young Self-Employed Nigerian Women and Co-Producing Solutions that Foster Better Systems and Wellbeing” branded as “Advancing Resiliency in Self-Employed young Women in Nigeria” represented the research team at the 2025 Canadian Conference on Global Health themed “Navigating the Path Forward: Advancing Global Health in a Changing World” holding in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada from October 24 to 28. The conference is bringing together researchers, practitioners, policymakers, community organisers and students to reflect on how to advance health equity for all. cing the ability of young women, especially those in the informal sector, to prepare for and cope with health crises and how policy can be strengthened.

The Advancing Resiliency In Self-Employed young Women In Nigeria (ARISE&WIN) Protocol Paper is Published!

We announce the publication of the Advancing Resiliency In Self-Employed young Women In Nigeria (ARISE&WIN) Protocol Paper in JMIR Research Protocols! Our paper is titled "Understanding the Gendered Impact of COVID-19 on Young Self-Employed Nigerian Women and Coproducing Interventions That Foster Better Systems and Well-Being: Protocol for a Multimethods Study".

This paper details the roadmap of our adventure over the last three years, the overall aim of our project as well as the strategies we adopted in our quest to improve the resilience of self-employed young women in Nigeria in the face of significant disruptive life events.

Cited as
Kusi-Mensah I, Taksal A, Akinyemi J, Owoade O, OlaOlorun F, Adeniyi A, Egbokhare O, Taiwo O, Adeoye O, Tamambang R, Afolayan A, Ononye C, Akinpelu O, Iyer S, Omigbodun O. Understanding the Gendered Impact of COVID-19 on Young Self-Employed Nigerian Women and Coproducing Interventions That Foster Better Systems and Well-Being: Protocol for a Multimethods Study; JMIR Res Protoc 2025;14:e69577

Read the full paper here: https://www.researchprotocols.org/2025/1/e69577
DOI: 10.2196/69577

We are grateful for the opportunity the ARISE&WIN journey gives us, and we look forward to many more impactful contributions to research and practice.

Earlier this morning, the ARISE&WIN team held a virtual preparatory meeting ahead of Round 4 of our post-intervention data collection. The session brought together our core team members and part time research assistants to review progress from Round 3 and finalise modalities for collecting the Outcome and Knowledge, Attitude & Practice (KAP) data for the Round 4 data collection. Key discussions focused on data tools and field strategies, with valuable input from our part-time RAs during the Q&A. Even though the IDRC-funded WomenRISE initiative which birthed the ARISE&WIN project ended on March 31, 2025, the ARISE&WIN team is committed to continuing our work for impact and sustainability.

Today, we honour the women who wake up daily to create and build dreams with their hands. On this International Worker's Day, we recognise the work of self-employed women — even when it's unpaid, unseen, or unregulated. You are the backbone of our communities.

Notes from Nairobi: For the Love of Self, the Smell of the Streets and a Scientific Writing Workshop

February, 2025.

I have to start with a confession: I loved my stay in Kenya!

So, I am reflecting on my two weeks in Nairobi from that stated bias. Travelling to Kenya was an opportunity to finally see a world I had only seen through the eyes of Ngugi Wa Thiong’o. I hope I do not sound immodest to say I have read all his fictional works. Ngugi painted Kenya as a land of resistance and resilience where history hums beneath everyday life. I had walked through the pages of his books imagining the tension between the past and the present, the rural and the urban, the personal and the political. Being in Kenya felt like stepping into a familiar yet vivid world. A place that was once confined to my imagination was now alive with colours, sounds, and conversations – and I was desperate to take it all in.

Read the full story here: https://ariseandwin.ng/post/notes-from-nairobi-for-the-love-of-self-the-smell-of-the-streets-and-a-scientific-writing-workshop/

The ARISE&WIN Team Participates in the WomenRISE Initiative End-of-Project Meeting in Nairobi, Kenya

The WomenRISE Initiative, launched in 2022, was designed to support action-oriented, gender-transformative research examining the intersection of women’s health and their work - both paid and unpaid - within the context of preparing for, responding to, and recovering from COVID-19.

From February 3-5, 2025, the 23 research teams who participated in the WomenRISE Initiative gathered for the End-of-Project Meeting, at the Ole-Sereni Hotel, Nairobi, Kenya. Among the participating research teams was the ARISE&WIN research team, with the full title: “Understanding the Gendered Impact of COVID-19 on Young Self-Employed Nigerian Women and Co-Producing Solutions that Foster Better Systems and Well-being,” and branded as Advancing Resiliency in Self-Employed Young Women in Nigeria (ARISE&WIN). ARISE&WIN contributed key insights into the challenges faced by self-employed women in Nigeria and the interventions that can foster their resilience and empower them to thrive in the midst of disruptive and unexpected life events.

Read the full report here: https://ariseandwin.ng/post/the-arisewin-team-participates-in-the-womenrise-initiative-end-of-project-meeting-in-nairobi-kenya/