The University of Liverpool in England and the Mama Doing Good Foundation, an initiative of the Office of the First Lady Rachel Ruto, signed a 5-year agreement to train all 130,000 Kenyan community health workers.
Making the announcement on Wednesday, April 5, the University of Liverpool stated that the ksh1.16 billion deal was part of the ongoing Clean-Air(Africa) Global Health Research Unit project aimed at improving health.
In addition, the institution noted that they would work together with the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI), to train community health workers in the prevention of household air pollution.
It explained that the collaboration would address the risk factors for global diseases that kill more than 23,000 as a result of using fuels such as wood, charcoal and kerosene for cooking.
“The partnership will also help drive the clean cooking agenda in Kenya by providing policy-relevant evidence for scaling the transition to clean fuels in households and institutions,” the statement from the University of Liverpool read in part.
The Professor of Global Health at the University praised the partnership noting that it would enhance the exchange of information leading to increased demand for clean cooking solutions.
“This partnership will help drive policy to benefit millions of Kenyans through cleaner air and will set the scene for similar action across East Africa and the sub-Saharan African region,” he affirmed.
Further, John Chumo the CEO of the Mama Doing Good Foundation noted that the First Lady welcomed the move adding that it would empower women economically and socially.
“This partnership reinforces the First Lady’s commitment to ensuring that women are socially and economically empowered to transition from solid biomass cooking methods to clean cooking methods.
“This will reduce household air pollution and air pollution-related disease burden through behaviour change communication by the Community Health Workers,” Chumo stated.
At the same time, a senior research fellow at KEMRI Dr James Mwitari reiterated that the partnership would enable the country to lead in primary and secondary prevention of household air pollution-related illness through the empowerment of the community health workforce.”
The initiative will be being co-directed by the University of Liverpool and colleagues from the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI) with partners from Kenya, Cameroon, Tanzania, Uganda and Rwanda.
