Guest Post: From a Recipient of an AuthorAID Gender Travel Grant

[Here’s a post from from Amanda Odoi, University of Cape Coast, Ghana, who recently received an AuthorAID gender travel grant. Thank you! —Barbara]

This post expresses my gratitude to AuthorAID for the ability to attend and make a poster presentation at the 7th African Population Council Conference in Pretoria, South Africa. This conference ran from 30 November to 4 December 2015. My presentation was titled “Media and the Misconception of Feminine Traits in Men and Masculine Traits in Women as Being Homosexual: Insights from Students of the University of Cape Coast, Ghana”.

Winning the grant came at the time when hopes of attending the conference were lost due to the high travel cost. In simple terms, my participation in the conference, which is contributing immensely to my studies, would have been impossible without this grant. The grant covered my conference registration, visa application fee, air ticket, accommodation, transportation, and meals. 

The forum was organised by the Union for African Population Studies (UAPS) in collaboration with the National Population Unit (Department of Social Development) and Statistics South Africa under the theme “Demographic Dividend in Africa: Prospects, Opportunities and Challenges”. It brought together over 600 academics, other experts, and students, from throughout the world.

Attending this workshop offered me the occasion not only to do a presentation but to also meet researchers in my area of interest, share ideas, obtain amazing contributions and ideas on how to proceed with my PhD thesis, and also gain contacts for my department. 

On behalf of my co-author and myself, I thank AuthorAID for giving us the opportunity to share our findings with a community of experts and to contribute to knowledge. This experience has launched me into a new phase of my academic and career exposure.