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Shelmith Wanjiru NDUNGU

PhD Researcher in Anthropology and Sociology, PhD affiliate, Gender Center
Spoken languages
English, Swahili, Kikuyu
Areas of expertise
  • Ethnography
  • Gender issues
  • Sexual and reproductive health
  • Human - animal relations
  • Community based development
Geographical Region of Expertise
  • Eastern Africa

PhD Thesis


Title: "Negotiating Legitimacy: A Comprehensive Exploration of How Agikuyu Couples in Nairobi Strategically Navigate Union Formation Across Cultural, Religious, and State Dimensions Amidst the Diverse and Contrasting Landscapes."

PhD Supervisor:  Yvan Droz

Shelmith's research delves into the dynamics of family formation in East Africa, with a keen focus on the intricate web of conjugality. Specifically, she examines how couples in Nairobi negotiate complexities arising from variations in moral values and obligations across various institutions, including customary, religious, and state structures in order to achieve legitimacy. 
 

Profile
 

Shelmith is an anthropologist specializing in medical and social anthropology. She earned her bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of Nairobi, focusing on "One Health" (global health), women's empowerment in agriculture, and community-based development in relation to the vaccine value chain analysis as a Graduate Research Assistant. Before her current role at the Geneva Graduate Institute, she served as a Research Officer at the African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC) in Nairobi, where her work covered sexual and reproductive health, including research on abortion, contraception, and infanticide in Africa.
 

Publications and Works

 

  • Mwadhi, M. K., Bangha, M., Wanjiru, S., Mbuthia, M., Kimemia, G., Juma, K., Shirima, J., Unda, S., Achieng, A., Both, J., & Ouedraogo, R. (2023). Why do most young women not take up contraceptives after post-abortion care? An ethnographic study on the effectiveness and quality of contraceptive counselling after PAC in Kilifi County, Kenya. Sexual and reproductive health matters, 31(1), 2264688. https://doi.org/10.1080/26410397.2023.2264688
  • Ouedraogo, R., Kimemia, G., Igonya, E. K., Athero, S., Wanjiru,S., Bangha, M., & Juma, K. (2023). "They talked to me rudely". Women perspectives on quality of post-abortion care in public health facilities in Kenya. Reproductive health, 20(1),35. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12978-023-01580-5
  • Salovaara, Isabel M., and Shelmith Wanjiru. 2019. "Teaching Ontologies and Activism with Sophie Chao." Supplementals, Fieldsights, February 15. https://culanth.org/fieldsights/teaching-ontologies-and-activism-with-sophie-chao