April was a very active month at the Aga Khan University's Arusha Climate and Environmental Research Centre (AKU-ACER). The team launched an important baseline study in Arusha and Monduli districts, welcomed enthusiastic student interns, hosted a special international visitor, and added two new peer-reviewed publications to their growing body of work.
One of the biggest highlights was the start of field activities for the project Assessing Climate-Sensitive Health, Nutrition and Environmental Vulnerabilities in Arusha and Monduli districts, Tanzania. To prepare, the Centre together with the Institute for Global Health and Development (IGHD) and the Department of Population Health (DPH), ran a five-day training programme from April 20 to 24 for enumerators, Community Health Workers (CHWs), and phlebotomists.
The training covered essential skills such as research ethics, informed consent procedures, administration of data collection tools, household engagement, and digital data management techniques. To assess readiness, participants participated in a one-day pilot field exercise in nearby villages. This practical session helped confirm they were fully prepared for full-scale implementation.
Field activities began on April 28 with a line-listing exercise across Arusha and Monduli District Councils. Teams visited households to register eligible participants, build the study database, and establish the sampling framework for the next phases of data collection.
The Centre also continued supporting young researchers through its internship programme. From April 13 to the end of May 2026, AKU-ACER hosted three students from Mwenge Catholic University pursuing science-related degrees. These interns jumped right in, participated in the enumerator training, and joined field data collection activities alongside CHWs and enumerators. Beyond serving as enumerators, they provided valuable technical support, especially helping Community Health Workers who needed extra guidance with digital tools and field procedures. Their contribution significantly improved the efficiency of field operations.
On April 25, the Centre welcomed Yasmin Ratansi, former Member of the Canadian House of Commons, to the AKU Principal Campus in Arusha. Ratansi was representing a group of former Canadian MPs on a tour of Tanzania and AKDN properties. The team gave her a comprehensive tour of the campus facilities, including demonstration plots, the arboretum, residential areas, and AKU-ACER's operational spaces. The visit concluded with a detailed presentation on the Centre's current research portfolio, strategic priorities, and its contributions to climate, health, and environmental research in Tanzania and beyond.
To round off a strong month, Dr Bashir Adelodun published two peer-reviewed book chapters, strengthening AKU-ACER's research profile. The publications, Water Management in Climate Disasters and Nature-Based Solutions for Smart City, focus on climate resilience, urban sustainability, and adaptive environmental management:
These publications contribute to ongoing global discussions on resilient and carbon-neutral urban systems.
