As part of the IAPB Gender Equity Toolkit, this resource aims to support organizations, educators, program managers, and advocates in selecting and implementing appropriate gender equity training modalities tailored to diverse audiences across the eye health sector.
The resources and tools below are designed for different audiences and purposes – ranging from self-paced introductory modules for individual learners, to facilitator guides and full training packages for workshops and organisational programs. For example, a clinic manager may start with a short self-paced course on why gender equity matters, while a training organiser might use a full facilitator toolkit to run a multi-day gender equity workshop.
Gender inequality remains a critical barrier to equitable access, service delivery, and leadership in eye health. Despite increasing global attention to gender disparities, many institutions and stakeholders lack practical tools, contextualized approaches, and capacity needed to build gender-responsive systems and inclusive workplaces.
From frontline health workers and medical trainees to administrative staff and executive leadership, each stakeholder group requires a different entry point for understanding and applying gender equity concepts. This tool addresses that need by mapping a range of evidence-informed training formats, methods, and materials aligned with specific learning goals and outcomes, institutional priorities, and regional contexts.
This tool is organized to guide users through the selection, adaptation, and integration of gender equity training across various levels of the eye health ecosystem. It includes the following sections to help guide people through the creation/coordination of gender equity trainings:
This resource is intended for various uses, but primarily to support those responsible for advocating, organizing and delivering gender equity training. It has been designed with these roles/positions in mind:
This tool is not prescriptive. Rather, it is meant to be adaptable, modular, and inclusive – providing a practical starting point for organizations/groups committed to advancing gender equity in eye health systems and programmes.
Each audience benefits from a tailored training approach to ensure relevance, buy-in, and impact. Understanding each audience’s motivation and/or application of gender equity into their day-to-day work is crucial when designing the right methodology and training content. Here are some specific core audiences to target and considerations for future gender equity training efforts:
Ophthalmologists, optometrists, nurses, and technicians benefit from clinical case-based examples, scenario learning, and role-play to surface unconscious bias in diagnosis, referral patterns, and patient communication.
Administrative, operations, and finance personnel are key to ensuring that institutional systems (HR, procurement, patient intake) reflect inclusive values. Training for this group should focus on equity in workplace policies, power dynamics, and gender-sensitive service delivery.
Partner organizations, including implementing NGOs, professional associations, community-based organisations, and advocacy networks, often serve as champions of change. Joint training can align gender equity priorities and promote shared accountability across the sector.
Community-facing stakeholders help bridge formal eye care systems and the populations they serve. Training should focus on understanding gender norms, recognizing barriers women and girls face, addressing stigma, and promoting behavior change and advocacy at the community level.
Decision-makers and program officers within government are instrumental in institutionalizing gender equity at policy, system and resourcing levels. Briefings, evidence summaries, and gender mainstreaming workshops are recommended.
Training for peer groups can be embedded in team retreats, learning forums, or communities of practice. These sessions often benefit from storytelling, lived experience, and informal mentorship dynamics.
Organizations can embed gender equity into internal training calendars—such as onboarding, leadership development, or annual reviews. This promotes a culture of accountability and continuous improvement.
Trusted connectors between communities and health and education systems, this group is key to addressing gender-related barriers to care. Training should focus on inclusive communication, local advocacy, and shifting gender norms that limit women’s access to eye care. Use participatory, culturally relevant methods like storytelling, dialogue circles, and community workshops.
In this section, we match each audience type with relevant resources, preferred training methods (e.g. self-paced, facilitated, hybrid), and sample learning outcomes. It also links to existing materials hosted within the IAPB Gender Equity Toolkit and/or through validated organizations.
Author: Oxfam (2023) Audience/use: Facilitators/Training organizers
This guide gives practical language examples and scenarios that MUST be appropriately adapted to various contexts/different languages. The primary training audience must be considered when determining which language, examples, and scenarios to use appropriately
Author: UN Women Audience/use: Facilitators/Training Organizers, Pre-learning Resources
These self-paced online modules provide learning about various gender equity concepts and can provide a more robust explanation of gender imbalance globally.
These can be used as a pre-learning module work for future trainings for potential audiences if the content relates to what the in person/direct training materials goes into further detail on.
Author: CanWaCH (April 2025) Audience/use: Facilitators/Training Organizers, Training Content
This resource outlines gender training content including concept and terminology, elements of gender transformative programming, and gender transformative and Feminist Monitoring, Evaluation, Assessment and Learning (MEAL). Sections of this tool could be further adapted to specific audiences/cultural contexts.
Some of this content could be further designed to provide more specific examples within the eye care system.
Author: Government of Canada Audience/use: Facilitators/Training Organizers, Pre-learning Resources
These self-paced modules help to define and put into context the concept of Gender Based Analysis Plus (+) framework. The first two modules are relevant as learning around sex and gender frameworks more broadly.
The first two modules could be shared as potential pre-learning. However, the topics, definitions and concepts are based on primarily a Western/Canadian perspective.
Author: Brien Holden Academy Audience/use: Pre-learning Resources
This is an ideal pre-learning module. that various audiences can use to review the definitions of gender and gender equality. It provides stories of real-life examples around gender equity champions and draws the connection between GE and the UN’s framework of the Sustainable Development Goals and includes one example linked to a female eye health worker. It is short and can be done within 20-30 minutes.
Author: Prevention Collective Audience/use: Post-learning Resources
Self-paced modules on a variety of subjects. Recommended as follow up/additional training resources for audiences who want further options. These resources specifically focus on the efforts of preventing of violence against women/children.
Author: CanWaCH Audience/use: Partners / Colleagues / NGOs
In 2025, CanWaCH ran a two-day virtual training that provided participants with an introduction to understanding the inclusion of women and girls with disabilities into health and gender equality programming.
Download the learning package, including guidance to run your own training on the topic here.
Author: Orbis International (2020) Audience/use: Spanish speaking audiences (clinical and non-clinical)
This self-paced course has modules that can be assigned as pre-learning for training designed for Latin American/Spanish speaking audiences.
Author: Orbis International (2025) Audience/use: Eye health professionals, Pre-learning/ Training content
This self-paced course has modules that can be assigned as pre-learning and/or main training designed for eye health clinical providers. Regional case stories and contexts are examined and provide practical examples.
Author: The Fred Hollows Foundation (2019) Audience/use: Eye health professionals, Training content
This resource outlines a 2-day gender training that focuses on gender/sex definitions, power dynamics, bias, gender and disability, do no harm, behavioral change and health literacy, and clinical contexts (patient and provider scenarios). This training resource can be adapted/further tailored based on the specific audiences and cultural norms/nuances of different groups.
Author: Plan International Australia Audience/use: Peers / Colleagues / NGO workers – People outside of the voluntary sector you may want to influence
This guide has been designed to help advocates of gender equality communicate effectively with a wide range of audiences. It translates key findings from the latest Gender Compass research into practical advice. The aim is to support
communicators to build awareness and support initiatives that drive positive change.
We recognise that when designing various training courses, with either different or similar audiences, there are some critical considerations when it comes to choosing the right methodology. Beyond the resources already shared in the section above, here are other considerations when designing training sessions to consider:
While some materials can be used off-the-shelf, adapting content to local realities ensures better engagement and sustainability. Teams organizing training efforts and/or facilitators should collaborate with local gender experts or champions to ensure resonance and respect.
Resistance, denial, or discomfort may arise during gender equity sessions. This tool provides:
Gender equity is not a one-time conversation or a box to check—it is an evolving commitment that requires ongoing reflection, practice, and accountability. One-off trainings may raise awareness, but without continued engagement, their impact is likely to fade over time. To sustain momentum and embed equity into institutional culture, organizations must invest in training approaches that build upon one another and incorporate new insights, data, and real-world experiences over time.
As organizations grow or contexts shift, so should the training content. Future sessions should integrate:
By treating gender equity training as an ongoing journey rather than a single destination, organizations can foster a culture of continuous learning, adaptability, and shared responsibility—leading to more equitable, inclusive outcomes for both staff and patients.
Case studies offer real-world insights into how gender equity training can be implemented across diverse eye health contexts. They highlight practical strategies, challenges encountered, and lessons learned—providing inspiration and guidance for others looking to adapt similar approaches. Where available, each example illustrates how tailored training methods led to measurable shifts in awareness, behavior, or institutional practice. These stories serve as powerful reminders that equity is both possible and actionable.
