2024 Awardee

Kinshasa Air Quality (KINAQ)

Led by Paulson KASEREKA ISEVULAMBIRE, in partnership with Professor Daniel Westervelt of Columbia University

Paulson KASEREKA ISEVULAMBIRE, Founder of WASARUThis award will support the first long-term PM2.5 monitoring network in the Democratic Republic of the Congo that will provide access to fully open data. By making this data openly available and collaborating with key stakeholders such as the Ministry of Public Health, The Kinshasa School of Public Health, University of Kinshasa, and others, the work will provide decision-makers at all levels with actionable data and actively engage with the community to improve air quality across the DRC.

This award will boost our local efforts of community air quality monitoring and will increase our leadership on air quality monitoring at DRC national level, open a way to engage and involve more key stakeholders (government, researchers, students and community), amplify our impacts at national level, especially with influencing air quality policy making in DR Congo.

Paulson KASEREKA ISEVULAMBIRE, Founder of WASARU

Achievements: 

  • Multiple conversations with government sectoral services
  • A shipment of 10 low-cost air quality monitors is on its way to DRC

What’s next? 

  • Develop a comprehensive Web Portal, complete with an Application Programming Interface (API) that will democratize access to air quality data, and raise public awareness on health impacts of air pollution.
  • Conduct a series of workshops, journalist press releases, and a dynamic social media campaign.
  • 10 educational outreach campaigns targeting school children, designed to increase public awareness about air pollution hazards and empower citizens to safeguard their health.