APHRC leads call for community investment to tackle climate and public health crises

As the effects of climate change continue to endanger lives across Africa, experts are calling for urgent community-level investment to address rising public health threats.

At a recent summit hosted in Nairobi by the African Population and Elrha, stakeholders emphasized that building climate resilience must start from the ground up, with communities at the center.

From food insecurity and water scarcity to mental health issues and disease outbreaks, climate change is directly impacting the health and well-being of communities. Experts at the summit described how vulnerable populations, particularly in rural and arid regions, face escalating challenges linked to environmental degradation and shifting weather patterns.

 “The climate crisis is now a public health crisis,” said one participant. “It is driving up incidences of respiratory diseases, water-borne illnesses, and mental health burdens, particularly in regions already grappling with poverty and inequality.”

Fatuma Kinsi Abass, Executive Director of the Pastoral Girls Initiative, delivered a keynote address highlighting the transformative role of community engagement in climate-health interventions.

“The most important thing is listening and learning from the community and acting together with them to create effective and inclusive solutions,” said Abass.

She explained that communities are often the first to observe environmental changes, from drying rivers to the spread of disease.

These firsthand insights, when integrated into policy and planning, can lead to solutions that are more resilient, relevant, and effective.

“By involving communities directly, particularly through trusted local partners, climate-health strategies become more impactful,” she added.

A key theme of the summit was the need for long-term investment in communities.

This includes funding local organizations, empowering indigenous knowledge systems, and supporting community-led solutions.

Alice Karanja, a scientist at APHRC, called for stronger policies to secure land tenure rights—a step she said is critical to encouraging sustainable land use and climate-adaptive farming.

“When people have secure land ownership, they are more likely to invest in long-term projects that can ensure food security,” Karanja said.

She also emphasized the value of agroecology and agroforestry as tools for household-level climate resilience, especially in drought-prone regions.

Panelists agreed that community-led solutions must be recognized and scaled. Rather than imposing externally designed programs, they advocated for pilot projects initiated and guided by local communities and researchers.

This model fosters local ownership, promotes sustainability, and ensures that projects continue beyond donor timelines.

 “There is no climate resilience without community inclusion,” one expert noted. “Top-down programs fail when they overlook the voices of those most affected.”

The summit also spotlighted the importance of translational research—turning academic data into practical community-based interventions.

Organizations like APHRC are working to build bridges between researchers and the communities they study, ensuring that findings translate into real-world impact.

Examples discussed included community-run health surveillance systems, local water management programs, and early warning systems tailored to specific climate risks.

“Funding mechanisms must shift from short-term aid to long-term investment,” said one speaker. “Communities are not just beneficiaries—they are partners in the fight against climate change.”

As Africa faces the growing threat of climate-related health emergencies, the Nairobi summit delivered a clear message: community investment is essential to protect public health and build climate resilience.

By resourcing communities as equal stakeholders—through funding, policy reform, and inclusive program design—governments and global institutions can foster solutions that are both effective and sustainable.

 “Through genuine collaboration, science grounded in lived experience, and culturally appropriate strategies, we can build systems that endure and adapt,” said one panelist.