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Nyambe Sikopo Pauline

Faculty of Health Sciences　Health Sciences　Health SciencesResearch Fellow

Researcher basic information

■ Degree
  • Doctorate (Health Sciences), Hokkaido University, Sep. 2020
  • Master of Arts (Child and Adolescent Psychology), University of Zambia, Dec. 2015
  • Bachelor of Arts with Education (Psychology and French Language), University of Zambia, Aug. 2010
■ URL
researchmap URLホームページURL■ Various IDs
Researcher number
  • 80899758
ORCID IDJ-Global ID■ Research Keywords and Fields
Research Keyword
  • Community Psychology
  • Human Ecology
  • Transdisciplinary research
  • Co-creation
  • Zambia
  • Indigenous studies and cultural diversity
  • Menstrual Health Management
  • Water, sanitation and hygiene
  • Participatory Action Research

Career

■ Career
Career
  • Apr. 2026 - Present
    Hokkaido University Faculty of Health Sciences Laboratory of Human Ecology, Research Fellow
  • Sep. 2022 - Mar. 2026
    Center for Ainu and Indigenous Studies, Global Station for Indigenous Studies and Cultural Diversity, Hokkaido University, Global Institution for Collaborative Research and Education, Assistant Professor
Educational Background
  • Oct. 2020 - Dec. 2021, Hokkaido University, Faculty of Health Sciences, Comprehensive Health Sciences, Research Fellow, Japan
  • Apr. 2016 - Sep. 2020, Hokkaido University, Graduate School of Health Sciences, Comprehensive Health Sciences, PhD Student, Japan
  • Nov. 2015 - Mar. 2016, Hokkaido University, Graduate School of Health Sciences, Comprehensive Health Science, Research Student, Japan
  • Oct. 2013 - Dec. 2015, University of Zambia, School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Child and Adolescent Psychology, Masters Student (MA), Zambia
  • Feb. 2006 - Aug. 2010, University of Zambia, School of Education, Major: Psychology, Minor: French Language, Undergraduate Student (BA.Ed), Zambia

Research activity information

■ Papers
  • Obstacles and challenges of policy implementation on menstrual health and hygiene for schoolgirls: Insights from stakeholders in Kafue District of Lusaka, Zambia
    Joy Sambo; Sikopo Nyambe; Taro Yamauchi
    Education and Conflict Review: The Political Economy of Education in Conflict and Complex Contexts: Insights from Africa and Central Asia, 89, 96, Centre for Education and International Development (CEID), UCL Institute of Education, 01 Sep. 2025
    In book, Proper Menstrual Health and Hygiene (MHH) is an international health priority that impacts schoolgirls’ educational attainment. Girls’ educational access remains challenging due to political limitations, economic hardships, and cultural stigmatisation surrounding menstruation. This further hinders girls from fully realising their potential. This research investigates the role of policymakers in the Kafue District of Lusaka Province, Zambia, in promoting Menstrual Hygiene Management (MHM) among schoolgirls. The study found a knowledge gap among key policymakers, stakeholders, community members, private institutions, and ministry representatives regarding existing MHH policies in Kafue. The results revealed that few participants understood and contributed to the District’s MHH initiatives, policies, and projects. Despite the Zambian government distributing sanitary materials to schoolgirls, lack of sustainable resource allocation, economic hardships, and political continuity remain critical MHH concerns. The study highlights the need for a better understanding and support of MHH policies to help girls realise their potential fully.
  • Obstacles and challenges of policy implementation on menstrual health and hygiene for schoolgirls: Insights from stakeholders in Kafue District of Lusaka, Zambia
    Joy Sambo; Sikopo Nyambe; Taro Yamauchi
    Education and Conflict Review: The Political Economy of Education in Conflict and Complex Contexts: Insights from Africa and Central Asia, 89, 96, Centre for Education and International Development (CEID), UCL Institute of Education, 01 Sep. 2025
    In book, Proper Menstrual Health and Hygiene (MHH) is an international health priority that impacts schoolgirls’ educational attainment. Girls’ educational access remains challenging due to political limitations, economic hardships, and cultural stigmatisation surrounding menstruation. This further hinders girls from fully realising their potential. This research investigates the role of policymakers in the Kafue District of Lusaka Province, Zambia, in promoting Menstrual Hygiene Management (MHM) among schoolgirls. The study found a knowledge gap among key policymakers, stakeholders, community members, private institutions, and ministry representatives regarding existing MHH policies in Kafue. The results revealed that few participants understood and contributed to the District’s MHH initiatives, policies, and projects. Despite the Zambian government distributing sanitary materials to schoolgirls, lack of sustainable resource allocation, economic hardships, and political continuity remain critical MHH concerns. The study highlights the need for a better understanding and support of MHH policies to help girls realise their potential fully.
  • Changes in access to household handwashing facility and hygiene practice in Kanyama peri-urban, Zambia – a repeated cross-sectional study
    Jessy Zgambo; Sikopo Nyambe; Taro Yamauchi
    International Journal of Environmental Health Research, 1, 14, Informa UK Limited, 13 Mar. 2025
    Scientific journal
  • Parental education, embarrassment, and sanitation facilities influence menstrual product choices among female nursing students in Bangladesh
    Md. Nahid Uz Zaman; Akira Sai; Sikopo Nyambe; Taro Yamauchi
    Journal of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene for Development, 01 Oct. 2024
    Scientific journal
  • Insights from Early Career Researcher Representatives at the Sustainability Research & Innovation Congress 2022 Asia Spotlight Event
    Sikopo Nyambe; Yen-Tzu Fan; Cho Kwong Charlie Lam; Mahmud Aditya Rifqi; Jessy Zgambo; Shiyu Deng; Huishan Huang; Jingyu Yao; Milan Chen; Anasuya Gangopadhyay; Ria Lambino; Giles B. Sioen; Fumiko Kasuga
    Indigenous Studies and Cultural Diversity, 31 Mar. 2024
    English, Scientific journal
  • “I See You” – Tackling Peri-Urban Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene by Employing Visualisation Strategies with Children and Youth in Lusaka, Zambia
    Sikopo Nyambe; Yoshimi Kataoka; Samuel Hanyika; Taro Yamauchi
    TRAJECTORIA, 2024, [Domestic magazines]
    English, Scientific journal
  • A qualitative study on menstrual health and hygiene management among adolescent schoolgirls in peri-urban Lusaka, Zambia
    Joy Sambo; Sikopo Nyambe; Taro Yamauchi
    Journal of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene for Development, 14, 1, 15, 26, IWA Publishing, 01 Jan. 2024
    Scientific journal, Abstract

    Menstrual Health and Hygiene (MHH) require adequate sanitary facilities, clean water, product access, privacy and safety, and disposal. MHH can significantly influence girls' health and educational achievements. However, schools in some developing countries lack proper Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) amenities to manage healthy menstruation. Therefore, it is crucial to enhance WASH services to tackle menstrual-related difficulties effectively. Zambian government schools struggle with insufficient WASH infrastructures. Hence, it is imperative to reveal the status of WASH services for policy progress and to promote girls' optimal menstrual health. We conducted observations and a qualitative study to evaluate the school's WASH facilities, investigate the sociocultural factors impacting MHH, and examine coping mechanisms to manage menstruation. Thirty adolescent schoolgirls, aged 14–19, residing in Lusaka peri-urban areas, participated in five focus group discussions. Insufficient school security, inadequate sanitary facilities, absence of clean water, and limited access to menstrual materials presented notable challenges. Culturally, there was an expectation for girls to swiftly embrace womanhood despite being unprepared for the natural biological process it entailed. Girls formulated strategies for managing challenges associated with MHH. The fundamental needs of menstruating girls include a sufficient supply of menstrual materials, improved WASH services, increased safety, and enhanced privacy.
  • Effect of handwashing on the reduction of Escherichia coli on children's hands in an urban slum Indonesia
    Mahmud Aditya Rifqi; Umi Hamidah; Neni Sintawardani; Hidenori Harada; Sikopo Nyambe; Akira Sai; Taro Yamauchi
    Journal of Water and Health, 21, 11, 1651, 1662, IWA Publishing, 19 Oct. 2023
    English, Scientific journal, Abstract

    Poor hand hygiene practice has been linked to an increase in the number of infections among children in urban slums. Hands are considered an intersection for bacterial transmission, but it is unclear whether the handwashing technique affects bacteria elimination. This study investigated the effect of handwashing on the concentration of Escherichia coli (E. coli) and factors related to its reduction among children in an urban slum in Bandung, Indonesia. We observed handwashing and conducted repeated hand swabs before and after handwashing among 137 participants. The mean E. coli concentration on the hands decreased after handwashing, with a higher reduction in E. coli count among students who used soap and had soap contact for more than 10 s during handwashing. Cleaning in-between fingers, using soap, soap contact for more than 10 s, and drying hands with a single-use towel were effective factors for reducing E. coli concentration after handwashing (p < 0.05). More than half of the swab samples (59%) tested positive for E. coli after handwashing, indicating that the children's handwashing technique was not effective in completely removing E. coli from the hands. Moreover, sustained and consistent handwashing practice as a daily behavior in children would maximize the effect.
  • Human Ecology and Global Health Research Unit Seminar
    Nyambe S; Sai A; Yamauchi T
    Indigenous Studies and Cultural Diversity, 1, 1, 58, 61, Mar. 2023, [Peer-reviewed]
    English, International conference proceedings
  • Peri-urban water, sanitation and hygiene in Lusaka, Zambia: photovoice empowering local assessment via ecological theory
    Sikopo Nyambe; Taro Yamauchi
    Global Health Promotion, Sep. 2022
    Scientific journal
  • Pattern of child faeces management and disposable diaper usage among under-fives in an Urban Slum of Bandung, Indonesia
    Lina Agestika; Neni Sintawardani; Umi Hamidah; Sikopo Nyambe; Taro Yamauchi
    Journal of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene for Development, 12, 1, 32, 40, {IWA} Publishing, 25 Oct. 2021
    Scientific journal, Abstract
    Children's faecal waste is a major environmental health issue despite increasing access to sanitation facilities and sanitary products in Indonesia. This cross-sectional study investigated child faecal management practice and disposable diaper usage among under-fives living in an urban slum of Indonesia. Data on household socio-demographics, child characteristics, and child faeces management practices were collected from 184 randomly selected pairs of mothers and children through interviews and observations. Findings revealed children's common defaecation sites as improved toilet, disposable diaper, and reusable diaper at 33.7, 33.2, and 16.3%, respectively. However, hygienic child faeces disposal was at 45%. Multivariate logistic regression indicated that the common use of disposable diapers and bathroom floor as the child's defaecation site increased unhygienic disposal. This prevalence decreased for mothers with higher education and those who had initiated toilet training. Promoting mothers' disposal of child faeces from disposable diapers, preventing child defaecation on the bathroom floor, and initiating toilet training as soon as a child can walk alone are thus potential interventions.
  • The improved and the unimproved: Factors influencing sanitation and diarrhoea in a peri-urban settlement of Lusaka, Zambia
    Sikopo Nyambe; Lina Agestika; Taro Yamauchi
    PLOS ONE, 15, 5, Public Library of Science ({PLoS}), 13 May 2020
    Scientific journal
  • Water, Sanitation, Hygiene, Health and Civic Participation of Children and Youth in Peri-Urban Communities
    Sikopo Nyambe
    Sanitation Value Chain, 2018
    English
■ Other Activities and Achievements
■ Affiliated academic society
■ Research Themes
■ Academic and Social Contribution Activities/Other
Media Coverage
  • Spotlight on Research – Instilling hope in youths for better WASH and life quality
    17 Jun. 2024
    Other than myself
    Hokkaido University Office of Public Relations and Social Collaboration
    Spotlight on Research
    Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan, This article highlights the Dziko Langa project, a youth-led participatory research initiative addressing water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) in peri-urban Lusaka, Zambia. The piece reflects on the project’s origins as part of Dr. Sikopo Nyambe’s PhD research, the community engagement strategies used, and the role of visual storytelling and co-created interventions in promoting behavioral change, youth empowerment, and local ownership of WASH solutions., 39880299;45520807;45520708;39880383, [Internet]