It is a pleasure to be a co-investigator on the project
"The AIR Network: Action for interdisciplinary air pollution
research" led by Dr. Patrick Büker (Stockhold Environment Institute,
University of York) recently funded by a AHRC-MRC GCRF Global Public Health
Partnership award. It aims to look at
possible community-led solutions to air pollution in the country. The project has
build a transdisciplinary team and programme of work to support and expand the
work being done in Kenya to record and tackle sources of air pollution and
peoples' exposure to them in informal settlements.
The first phase of the project was in January 2018 where I facilitated
the creation of a piece of theatre that would raise awareness of air pollution
in the informal settlement of Murukku in Nairobi.
During my stay in Nairobi, I worked with 17 UK based
scientists and 20 members of the Murukku community. From this, it was agreed
that a piece of legislative theatre would be created by the local community and
myself in September 2018.
It was a real honour to be able to contribute to such a huge
project that will affect the lives of many, not just in the Murukku community,
but the wider Nairobi population and I’m very grateful for the opportunity. The aim of the piece of
legislative theatre is to make systemic changes to support the community and to
clean up the air in the area and I am looking forward to going back in
September to put this into action.
For a short article about the project have a look at the
following link: https://www.sei-international.org/-news-archive/3753
