MaMa Doing Good hosted a delegation from the University of Liverpool on Monday, January 8. The delegation was led by Prof. Richard Black, the Provost and Deputy Vice Chancellor of the university, and included key faculty members from the School of Environmental Sciences and the Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences.

The visit was part of a tripartite partnership between MaMa Doing Good, the University of Liverpool and the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI), which aims to reduce the disease burden resulting from Household Air Pollution (HAP) through household clean energy.

HAP is a major health and environmental problem in Africa, where millions of people rely on traditional biomass fuels such as wood, charcoal and dung for cooking and heating. According to the World Health Organisation, HAP is responsible for almost 490 000 premature deaths per year in Africa, mainly due to respiratory and cardiovascular diseases. In Kenya alone, HAP causes 23,000 deaths annually, with women and children being the most affected.

The partnership seeks to address this challenge by promoting the adoption of clean and efficient cooking technologies, such as improved cookstoves, biogas and solar systems, among rural and urban households in Kenya. The partnership also aims to raise awareness and educate communities about the benefits of clean energy, as well as to provide financial and technical support to facilitate the transition.

The partnership is aligned with Kenya’s agenda on community health, which seeks to reduce non-communicable diseases, such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and lung cancer, that are linked to HAP. The partnership also supports Kenya’s vision of achieving universal access to clean cooking by 2028, as part of its commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Agreement on climate change.

During the visit, the delegation met with the staff and beneficiaries of MaMa Doing Good, and discussed how they can amplify clean energy interventions on the ground.

MaMa Doing Good is grateful for the partnership with the University of Liverpool and KEMRI, and looks forward to working together to improve the lives and health of millions of people in Kenya and beyond, through the power of clean energy.