Interesting weeks are drawing to a close for the RESPIRA-ABEP project and Dr Margaret N. Macharia Kedogo from the University of Nairobi, as the KU Leuven alumna completes her Mobility Fellowship with visits to Leuven, Leiden and Madrid.
Led by Professpr Pieter Van den Broek and funded through the Una Europa Africa Seed Funding call, the RESPIRA-ABEP project brings together researchers from Africa (University of Nairobi and Université de Kinshasa) and Europe (KU Leuven, Universiteit Leiden, Universidad Complutense de Madrid) to exchange knowledge and expertise across disciplines and career stages. Central to this initiative are two key exchanges—one in Africa and one in Europe—designed to strengthen research networks and deepen understanding of respiratory health issues caused by mismanaged waste burning.
In November 2024, a workshop and field visits in Kenya organised by the Mobility Fellowship Chairholder Dr Margaret N. Macharia Kedogo provided first-hand insights into local solid waste management and its health implications. More recently, in March 2025, Dr Margaret N. Macharia Kedogo visited the three Una Europa partner universities in Madrid, Leuven, and Leiden, engaging with fellow researchers and exploring collaborative opportunities.
This project has been a great opportunity. It really helped me, after finishing my PhD, to transition from being ‘just a researcher’ to actually looking for a way of implementing, hopefully, some of our findings. It enabled me to network further on so many levels, within my country, within Africa and across Europe. It made me grow personally as well as intellectually.
- Dr Margaret N. Macharia Kedogo, University of Nairobi, Mobility Fellowship Chairholder
During her lecture in Leuven, Dr Margaret N. Macharia Kedogo offered her research perspective on the complexities of solid waste management in Kenya, highlighting the diverse interests and needs of policymakers and local communities. She emphasised the urgent need for interdisciplinary action research, calling for stronger partnerships between academia and local stakeholders to develop sustainable solutions.
Together with colleagues of the broader RESPIRA network, Margaret hopes to build on their exchanges to take further action, pointing out why every small step matters when it comes to ensuring clean air.
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