The Women and Development Unit

The Women and Development Unit (WAND) was established in August 1978 in the context of the UN Decade for Women, the work of the Unit has been traditionally committed to supporting and promoting women's development through training, research, documentation and community outreach. The Unit joined the University of the West Indies Global Campus in 2008 becoming a unit of the Consortium for Social Development & Research (CSDR) of the Global Campus, UWI. WAND centres women and their families in Caribbean Development by adapting an inclusive and intersectional approach which looks at women’s economic participation, women with disabilities, women’s sexual identity and gender based violence; women’s spiritual expression in non-traditional spaces; and women, children and alternative parenting practices.

The University of the West Indies,
Global Campus
The Pine, St Michael, Barbados CBN
Tel: 246 231 6850

wand@open.uwi.edu

Strategic Areas

Women, Gender and Caribbean Economies

Technical Partnerships in Research, Policy, and Advocacy

Regional Applied Research To Support Advocacy, Law Reform and Social Justice
Movements

Institutional Strengthening and Empowerment

Research and Publications

Gray, Anika, and Heron, Taitu. A Legislative Review of Restrictive Provisions Governing Women’s Access to Abortion in the Eastern Caribbean. (March 19, 2020) WAND, The UWI Global Campus, ECADE and Equality and Justice Alliance. Available at SSRNya.
Heron, Taitu and Hume, Yanique. Stepping Out: Peter Tosh and the Dynamics of Afro-Caribbean Existence (2012). Caribbean Quarterly, Volume 58, No. 4 (December 2012). Available at SSRN
Heron, Taitu and Maxwell, Shakira. Women's Reproductive Health and Rights in Select Caribbean Countries (September 20, 2012). SES, Vol. 61, No. 3, September 2012. Available at SSRN
Heron, Taitu and Toppin, Danielle and Finikin, Lana. Sistren in Parliament: Addressing Abortion and Women's Rights Through Popular Theatre (December 1, 2009). MaComere, Journal of the Association of Caribbean Women Writers and Scholars, Vol. 11, pp. 45-60, December 2009. Available at SSRN
Heron, Taitu. Political Advertising and the Portrayal of Gender, Colour, and Class in Jamaica’s General Elections 2007 (December 1, 2008). IGDS Working Paper No. 5. Available at SSRN

Public Policy & Outreach

WAND contributes to development discourse, policy development, and advocacy by hosting public forums, webinars, and coordinating policy initiatives and applied research for advocacy.

LeadHERship Institute Retreat!!
Our annual planning retreat with the LeadHERship Institute was exciting, fun and productive May 20-22, 2023

Pink Parliament Initiative
The Pink Parliament Initiative is a 6-month empowerment and leadership training programme for girls 14-20 years old.The Pink Parliament Initiative is a 6-month empowerment and leadership training programme for girls 14-20 years old.

Project Launch Ceremony UWIOC Grenada /WAND and SAEP

The project launch ceremony May 31, 2023 for a collaborative project with the UWI Global Campus Grenada Site and the Government of Grenada: "Bridging the Gender Gap in Development Planning Through Continuing Professional Education".