When: Thursday, June 25, 2026
Where: Zoom. Reminder emails with the zoom link will be sent a day before and two hours before the event takes place.
Register here!
This panel brings together women working in and around health across three regions to surface a simple but powerful truth, that regardless of our geography, women and girls across the globe face strikingly similar barriers to their health. The conversation will move from personal story to structural analysis to collective action. It will be grounded always in the lived realities of the women and girls we serve and represent. The dialogue should be educational but also permit sharing of personal stories so that the audience feel seen, informed, and motivated.
The dialogue will cover three Thematic Pillars, including:
Pillar 1 - Economic & Access
Conversations surrounding economic and structural barriers to healthcare access, unpaid care burden and women’s self-neglect, as well as health system failures and gaps in service delivery.
Pillar 2 - Social & Cultural
Conversations surrounding social and cultural norms shaping health behaviour, reproductive myths, taboos and harmful practices, and the silence around reproductive and sexual health.
Pillar 3 - Mental Health, Disability & Marginalized Groups
Conversations surrounding mental health stigma and the invisibility of mental illness in women, disability-inclusive approaches to reproductive and sexual health, ensuring marginalized women are not left out of health conversations and policy.
Event Format
Welcome
Panelist introductions
Icebreaker
Moderated Discussion
Q&A
Closing Reflections and Calls to Action
Participants
Biography - Kimmette Robertson
Kimmette Robertson is a social entrepreneur, mental health professional, and passionate women’s health advocate dedicated to driving gender equality and community empowerment. A cross-cultural leader, she is a 2026 Young Leaders of the Americas Initiative (YLAI) Fellow committed to designing innovative, ecosystem-led solutions for marginalized groups. She serves as the Vice President of the SVG Association of Endometriosis, Adenomyosis, and PCOS, championing women’s health education; and is the founder of MindTHRIVE Co., a wellness enterprise providing vital mental health support across St. Vincent and the Grenadines. Additionally, Kimmette champions creative entrepreneurship and circularity with sustainable product designs through KP Artistry 784.
Biography - Angela Elizabeth Ledon Maduro
Angela Elizabeth Ledon Maduro is a Legal Practitioner, Conveyancer, and Notary Public at Matutu and Mureri Legal Practitioners in Zimbabwe. She is a civic leader and advocate for Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR), disability rights, gender equality, and community development. Angela is a BridgeUSA Ambassador Scholar and an alumna of the U.S. Study of the U.S. Institutes (SUSI) for Student Leaders on Civic Engagement. She has led and participated in initiatives promoting inclusion, legal empowerment, and access to justice for marginalized communities. Her work focuses on the intersection of law, human rights, disability inclusion, and SRHR, with a commitment to advancing equitable policies, strengthening community engagement, and fostering social change across Zimbabwe.
Biography - Dr. Pauline Samson Shallangwa
Dr Pauline Samson Shallangwa is a girl child activist, educator and a US Department of States Alumna. She is a Nigerian and a person living with albinism. She is a veterinary doctor by training but has spread her tentacles of learning and experience to leadership, humanitarian work and girl child advocacy. Her life is guided by principles principal among which is the Christian faith. She goes all out for the girl child.
Kimmette Robertson
Angela Elizabeth Ledon Maduro
Dr. Pauline Samson