Research drives knowledge, and unfortunately, it is missing for Rare Diseases. We cannot understand what we do not study. We can rely on knowledge generated in other parts of the world; however, we always have to contextualize it to our population, its challenges, and needs. A lot of Rare Diseases have a genetic basis, this means we need multidisciplinary teams to properly handle patients.
Read MoreFor advocates of rare diseases, Rare Disease Day is an opportunity to create, and increase, awareness in the general public, and with policymakers, around the need for research, increasing equity and raising the patient voice as stipulated by the various Rare Disease Day themes from the last 5 years. But, what exactly is a ‘rare disease’?
Read MoreMawazo’s research has shown that PhD students are looking for training opportunities that can help them develop professional skills. Take for instance Jacqueline Owigo, one of the 2018 Mawazo PhD Scholars. Prior to joining the PhD Scholars programme, Jacqueline, whose research explores forced migration and reintegration trends, with a focus on Somalia, had completed all her relevant coursework and was in the dissertation phase of her PhD.
Read MoreAs we launch the Mawazo Learning Exchange (MLEx), our new open online platform that provides e-learning materials and other free digital resources targeted at early-career African researchers, we took the time to interview Dr. Angeline R. Wairegi, Mawazo’s in-house e-learning specialist, about MLEx.
Read MoreMawazo is focused on creating supportive safe spaces for our grantees, encouraging healthy dialogue, and increasing awareness about the mental stresses that graduate students face. Our goal is to help further the conversation on mental health in Kenya, adding depth and nuance, so that future academics will find systems in place where they can safely talk about their mental health and receive the support they need.
Read MoreIn late July, we partnered with The Conversation Africa to co-host a virtual training session for 24 female African researchers on science communication and Op-Ed writing. Drawn from across the continent, our participants, were lecturers, researchers and post-doctoral fellows, from a range of disciplines including social studies, linguistics, animal nutrition, entomology, public health, and agriculture.
Read MoreSince the onset of the crisis, we have been working on innovative ways to cope with the unexpected impacts of COVID-19. Our responses are three-fold and have focused on: (i) our obligations to our staff, (ii) our commitment to our beneficiaries, and (iii) our engagement within the regional higher education ecosystem. In this statement, we summarise the actions we are taking in each of these areas.
Read MoreThe Mawazo Institute is an African and woman-led organization that exists to support voices that are too often marginalised. Over the last few weeks, we have felt tremendous grief at the killing of George Floyd at the hands of the police. We have also taken the opportunity to reflect on how this act of violence is a brutal example of the systemic racism that exists not just in the US but around the world.
Read MorePeris Ambala is a virologist, zoonotic disease specialist, and a 2018 Mawazo PhD Scholar whose research is helping improve Kenya’s capacity to detect, prevent and control for the spread of zoonotic viruses. In her work, Peris uses molecular tools to study the characteristics of filoviruses, which are a group of viruses, including Ebola and Marburg, that are known to cause hemorrhagic fever in humans.
Read MoreIn March, the Mawazo Institute, in partnership with the Fondation L’Oréal, hosted the East African premiere of the documentary Women and Science in Africa: A Silent Revolution, as part of Mawazo’s Nairobi Ideas events series. Following the screening of the documentary, audience members were invited to stay for a panel discussion with three leading Kenyan female scientists around the themes raised in the documentary.
Read MoreIn January 2018, when the Mawazo Institute launched its Public Engagement Programme, our intentions were clear: to connect Mawazo Scholars and other African experts to the general public using varied and engaging mediums. For us, research that does not make its way out of the shelves of a university library, or the rooms of a lecture hall remains one of the most underutilized resources in developing countries such as ours.
Read MoreOn a warm cloudless day in mid-December, the Mawazo Institute hosted a follow-up to its Girls in STEM Career Day that invited 30 Maasai female students to spend a day learning about science and science careers. Held as an extension of the 2019 Next Einstein Forum’s (NEF) Africa Science Week-Kenya, Mawazo partnered with the Travelling Telescope and Let Maasai Girls Learn initiative, founded by 2018 Faces of Kenyan Science awardee, Dr. Damaris Parsitau, to organise the day’s events.
Read MoreThe Mawazo Institute remains committed to empowering and supporting Kenyan women in STEM. According to a 2018 report by the World Economic Forum (WEF), Kenya has been declining in its goal to achieve gender parity in education attainment. In 2018, Kenya ranked 122nd globally, down from 116th in 2016. The report indicated that though gender parity has been achieved in primary education, women and girls still face challenges in accessing higher education.
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