What happens when our research documents women's empowerment while systematically erasing their oppression?   My first consultancy assignment taught me how research can miss everything that matters. I was the only woman and national consultant on a team studying a major road project. The terms of reference required attention to gender and other cross-cutting issues. The team leader assigned all these issues to me. The international experts handled the serious technical work.

What is the purpose of research? Is it to generate academic publications? Is it to catalogue problems? Or is it to create wish lists for donors? We must think carefully about this. Have you ever asked questions that cause more harm than good to the respondent? Consider a young woman who has experienced sexual violence. She already carries trauma. Your research questions can retraumatise her. This is violence.   Do you seek proper permission before asking sensitive questions?

What does it mean to truly drink? Not just to swallow, but to receive water as our bodies are meant to receive it? We have traded this essential purity for convenience. We store our water in plastic bottles that can leach chemicals, particularly when we carry cartons in our vehicles, subject to heat that accelerates this process. We cook our food in metallic pots that can leave a faint, sharp taste. Our ancestors chose a different path. They understood the intelligent simplic