Environmental Degradation is one of the main concerns of Kenya. The cutting down of trees for firewood and charcoal, used as fuel, combined with the lack of tree re-planting, leads to the depletion of the much needed forests. Communities in rural Kenya that are highly dependent on the use of wood and charcoal as fuel for daily living conditions: cooking, heating and construction are more vulnerable to the effects of environmental degradation.

To date, several programs are being employed by various communities to reduce the direct effects of environmental degradation. These programs include ,but are not limited to,  (1)public education on the importance of preservation of forests,  (2)initiatives aimed at rewarding continued tree planting in communities, (3)distribution of tree saplings to communities, and  (4)the promotion and subsequent adoption of environment friendly  modes of fuel consumption, for example the rocket-stove.

The rocket-stove is a mode of combustion that is used as an alternative to the traditional wood and charcoal fires, typically adopted by use of communities in rural Kenya. This rocket-stove uses less wood than a traditional open fire, can burn smaller diameter material, produces less pollution and can be easily constructed from low-cost materials, enabling it to be well suited for use in the rural communities. It is currently being used for cooking as well as space and water heating.

Imbako Public Health, in collaboration with ALSA ventures, LLC  held a workshop on the construction and use of the rocket-stove, in Sitatunga Kitale, a rural town in the Rift Valley province of Kenya. Residents were afforded demonstration on the construction of the stove, from the use of locally available material, and, educated on the benefits of use of the stove, over the traditional wood and charcoal fires. The project coordinator also pointed out the enhanced safety and hygiene that the rocket-stove provides to the immediate users.

Imbako Public Health is a non-profit organization based in Kenya and the USA that strives to allay disparities in healthcare, education and environment facing communities in rural Kenya. Sustainability in environment is one of the three core areas of the organizations operation, with healthcare and education as the other two core areas.

For pictures of the workshop on the promotion of the use of the rocket-stove, visit the Imbako face book page here :-http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.369081599969.54670.75315759969&l=89c72381e3&type=1

In 2010, Imbako Public Health partnered with Georgia State University’s Beta Alpha Psi  on the Global Impact Project (GIP), an initiative, aimed to allay disparities in education facing women in Kenya.

In April, 2011 the University’s Beta Alpha Psi held a fundraiser to enable the education of promising girls in Kenya, who could not afford to go to college. Their efforts were greatly rewarded and from the funds raised, four  more girls from rural communities in Kenya will now attain a college education in the country- surely a great step towards allaying disparities in education. To date, the GIP has enabled the education of nine girls from rural Kenyan societies, thus breaking the cycle of poverty.

The 2011 GIP cycle has enabled four girls from rural Kenya to attain Bachelors or Associate degrees in Business and Education, commencing, 2011. The girls; Esther, Rosebellah, Nancy and Pamela, and their respective fields of academic pursuit are as follows: (1)Esther Okutoyi Anjawa attended Bukolwe Secondary school and has been admitted to the Bishop Hannington Teachers Training College, Mumias Campus, for an Associate Degree in Arts – Education.   (2)Rosebellah Atiseno Wambalo attended, Butere Primary School and Butere Girls High School in Western Kenya has been admitted to the Kenya College of Accountancy University, where she will study accounting and then take her Certified Public Accounting (CPA) examinations. (3)Pamela Khanda Mungoni attended Ichinga Primary school and Goibei Girls Secondary School in Western Kenya. She has been admitted to the Kenya Institute of Management, Kakamega Campus, for a diploma/associate degree in Business Management and  (4) Nancy Okisimba Were attended St. Joseph High School in rural Kenya and has been admitted to the Presbyterian University of East Africa to pursue a Bachelors Degree in Education.

Increasingly studies in Public Health show that to improve population health, we have to start by addressing the social determinants of health disparities. From Thomas Frieden, MD, MPH we learn that initiatives that address socioeconomic factors; poverty, education, are bound to have the greatest population impact. It is on this platform that Imbako Public Health’s core initiatives in Education, Healthcare and Environment were born.

For more information on the Global Impact Project, and to join in the efforts of Imbako Public Health and Georgia State University’s Beta Alpha Psi, please visit www.bapgsu.com, and www.imbakopublichealth.org, or email us info@imbakopublichealth.org

“Education is critical to breaking the cycle of poverty. Poverty is not only about income, it is about inequitable access to resources, lack of opportunities, reduced outcomes and hence reduced hope and expectation.” Statistics show that worldwide, of the more than 110 million children not in school, approximately 60% are girls, and that by age 18, girls have received an average of 4.4 years less education than boys . In rural Kenya, statistics show even larger disparities in access to education facing the girl child.

In 2010, based on collaboration between Georgia State University (GSU), and Imbako Public Health, the Global Impact Project Scholarship, was initiated to address disparities in access to education facing the girl child in rural Kenya. Today, due to these scholarships, five girls are currently enrolled in colleges and universities in Kenya, in the fields of Business and Education.  As a result of the academic achievements they will attain, in approximately three years, these girls will be economically empowered to provide for & sustain themselves, to support their siblings to attend school, and to give back to community. Thus, by educating the girl child, Beta Alpha Psi (BAP) has broken the cycle of poverty that these girls would have faced.

Imbako Public Health wanted to thank the BAP leadership team, of Georgia State University, for  making a tangible difference in the lives of the girl-child, and to let them know that they have  truly given new hope and expectation to  communities in Kenya. Over Tea, coffee and bagels in Alpharetta, Georgia, Imbako directors Judith Okech and Irene Okech met with Allison Jacobs, Tiffany Tate and Winifred Akandi, members of the BAP leadership team to thank them, and the BAP members for blessing the lives of those in a different continent. Imbako shared with the leadership team the stories of appreciation that were continuously being received from Kenya, and also affirmed commitment to the  GIP collaboration “We are honored to partner with Georgia State University’s Beta Alpha Psi on this Noble Initiative, and will play our role both in Kenya and USA towards identification of potential scholarship beneficiaries and stewardship of the allocated funds” said Irene Okech, Imbako Director.Thank you Beta Alpha Psi!

To read more on the Global Impact Project, please visit www.bapgsu.com