University of Helsinki
The ECC Helsinki team spent nine wonderful days in Kenya in late January and early February 2024. The trip was an opportunity for the Helsinki and Nairobi members to meet face-to-face for the first time.
The group visited various faculties and research groups related to One Health research at the University of Nairobi, such as the KAVI Institute of Clinical Research, Centre for Epidemiological Modelling and Analysis (CEMA), and the Wangari Maathai Institute for Peace and Environmental Research. We were very much impressed by the valuable work done in virology, epidemiology, food science, and social studies, just mention a few research areas we got to know during the trip. We were warmly welcomed by the University of Nairobi’s Vice Chancellor, Prof. Stephen Kiama.
We also visited the Institute of Primate Research, a research centre dedicated to biomedical research and laboratory animal science, and the SWOP Clinic, which promotes health and well-being of sex workers, transgender people, and men who have sex with men. We got to know sustainable silk production and taste mulberry wine at Silk Origin Limited and had the chance to see behind the scenes in the storage rooms of the National Museum of Kenya, filled with bones and animal specimens.
One highlight of the trip was a safari at the Nairobi National Park. We had an early morning rise so that we could catch a sight of the rising sun and the wild animals while they were still active before the mid-day heat. The safari was not without its adrenaline rush, as we made a very close – almost too close! – encounter with a pair of rhinos. In the afternoon, we got to calm our nerves by feeding the giraffes at the Giraffe Centre.
After five days in Nairobi, we hopped on a bus and headed to the Taita Research Station, located in Wundanyi in southeastern Kenya, close the border of Tanzania. The station was established by the University of Helsinki in 2011 and focusses on geography and sustainability science, geosciences, and atmospheric, biological, and environmental sciences. On the first day, we hiked through a cloud forest and enjoyed lunch on top of a small mountain. On the second day, we had a safari in the Lumo Community Wildlife Conservancy and heard about the research projects going on at the station. The trip to Taita ended with a party on the station’s roof terrace, where Afrobeats mixed with Käärijä’s Cha Cha Cha.
The trip offered a valuable opportunity for the ECC mentors and mentees to create networks and research collaborations. Future will tell what these new connections will result in. One thing is for sure: the trip transformed the team into a real ECC family!