Anga Center Capacity Building Core

PROJECT SUMMARY Residents of climate vulnerable communities—defined as those most susceptible to, or unable to cope with, adverse effects of climate change (CC), including climate variability and extremes—and marginalized populations, especially, women, youth, and people living with disabilities have a profound stake in the global community's understanding of CC and health and strategies to adapt to the climate crisis. Research suggests that bottom-up approaches to CC and health research that actively engage participation of local communities and leverage and strengthen local capacities ensure reduced vulnerability. This is the key principle of the Capacity Building Core. The overall goal of the Anga Center's Capacity Building Core is to enhance local and regional CC and health science and research by investing in infrastructure, early-career researchers, and climate vulnerable communities and by building the knowledge and technical and scientific skills of and relationships between future CC and health researchers and communities in multi-directional ways. One of our strategies for achieving this goal is to support communities most vulnerable to CC and early-career researchers in CC and health and to cultivate meaningful relationships and knowledge-sharing between the two. There is incredible potential to enhance CC and health research and CC adaptation particularly in low- income countries (LICs), through investing in local climate-related infrastructure, facilitating community-based learning, co-producing knowledge, and increasing the usability of climate science information. Using a multi- pronged, non-hierarchical, equity-focused approach, the Capacity Building Core will work to achieve these goals in East Africa. Through the installation of relatively low-cost local weather stations that can be integrated into existing national and regional weather and climate monitoring networks; investments in capacity-building opportunities for climate vulnerable communities; and knowledge integration and exchange between scientists, researchers, and community members, the Capacity Building Core will strive to enhance local and regional CC and health science and the co-production and utilization of knowledge for and within these communities (Aim 1). Recognizing the critical importance of encouraging and supporting early-career investigators in CC and health we will focus part of the attention of the Capacity Building Core on supporting a multinational, multidisciplinary cohort of future leaders of climate change and health (FLCCH) PhD students through fellowships, mentorship, trainings, seminars, workshops, and hands-on research opportunities (Aim 2). Finally, the Capacity Building Core will focus on promoting interdisciplinary research and fostering authentic partnerships between CC scientists, health investigators, and climate vulnerable communities or populations through a pilot research project program (PRPP). The PRPP will provide interdisciplinary teams of researchers, including at least one early-stage researcher, funding to carry out a community-engaged pilot research project and mentorship support to apply for extramural funding using the data collected during the pilot project (Aim 3).