July brought progress across research, partnerships, knowledge-sharing and institutional activities at the Aga Khan University's Arusha Climate and Environmental Research Centre (AKU-ACER). The month also saw the Centre mourn Simon Benjamin from the Finance team, who died in a road traffic accident in Arusha on July 12.
From July 3–10, Professor Emmanuel Sulle, Director of the Centre, led two PhD students and a University of Dodoma faculty member on a scoping mission to Singida, Shinyanga and Iringa regions in Tanzania for the DANIDA-funded Buying-In project, co-implemented with the University of Dodoma and Roskilde University. The team consulted stakeholders, assessed field conditions and gathered preliminary information to guide implementation.
The Centre also progressed Phase II of its climate-sensitive health, nutrition and environmental vulnerabilities project in Arusha and Monduli districts. On July 9–10, enumerators, Community Health Workers and phlebotomists received refresher training on study tools, protocols and data collection.
From July 11–13, Professor Sulle supported the Medium-Scale Farmers in Rural Africa project in Morogoro, Tanzania, engaging partners and reviewing field activities. On July 20, the Centre welcomed Glory Ibrahim as Executive Assistant, followed by Theophista Moshi as an Office Attendant Intern on July 27.
From July 21–24, the Centre hosted an Aga Khan Foundation regional workshop at the Arusha Campus, bringing together 44 participants, including staff and Green Champions from Tanzania and other countries. The workshop explored regenerative farming, food security and nutrition, nature-based solutions, and environmental and social management systems.
During the same period, Dr Happiness Moshi, a Centre researcher, participated in the European Association of Social Anthropologists online conference. She co-organised a panel, presented research on moral investment and African capitalism, and chaired sessions on climate and environmental themes.
On July 22, Faculty of Arts and Sciences interns from Aga Khan University's Karachi Campus presented their internship projects, highlighting research findings, lessons learned and practical skills gained.
The Centre also celebrated a new publication, “Enhancing Risk Communication for Climate-Sensitive Neglected Tropical Diseases in Northern Tanzania", co-authored by Professor Sulle, Kahabi Isangula, a researcher in public health, and colleagues. Published in PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases, the study examines community understanding of disease outbreaks and implications for risk communication and public health.
On July 31, Professor Sulle represented the Centre at a ceremony welcoming a new Associate Vice Provost and honouring the outgoing AVP. He also spoke with Ida Muthoki, Storytelling and Content Specialist at AKU Strategic Communications, about the Centre's LiteWeed research, discussing its motivation, technology-testing challenges, community involvement and potential for scale-up.
