This is a joint research project between Kisii University and University of Minnesota (UM), USA. The program will first adapt the UM Extension curriculum through a co-creation process with select multi-disciplinary faculty from Kisii University. Secondly, a group of trainers will be trained in how to use the curriculum. Finally, the UM Extension Educators will mentor the Kenyan trainers during the first offering of the sessions with participants from community-based organizations in southwest Kenya. For more information check. https://extension.umn.edu/news/rural-leadership-symposium-taken-kenya-january
CLIMATE-U: TRANSFORMING UNIVERSITIES FOR A CHANGING CLIMATE
Kisii University in collaboration with the University College of London, University of Passo Fundo, Brazil, University of the South Pacific, Fiji, Kenyatta University and Eduardo Mondlane University Mozambique are engaged in a project on climate change. This project aims to strengthen the contribution of universities to addressing the causes and impacts of climate change in lower-income contexts. It focuses on four countries: Brazil, Fiji, Kenya and Mozambique, each of which is mobilising to develop policies and action to address the damaging impacts of climate change. In doing so, the research project contributes to the broader task of understanding the role of education in achieving the full set of Sustainable Development Goals. For more information check https://www.climate-uni.com/
AFRICAN HIGHER EDUCATION LEADERSHIP IN ADVANCING INCLUSIVE INNOVATION FOR DEVELOPMENT PROJECT
This project is a co-funded by the Erasmus + programme of European Union. The project is carried out by Kisii University in collaboration with 4 Universities from Europe (Romania, Poland, UK, Italy), a consultancy company from Bulgaria,5 universities from Kenya,2 universities from Tanzania and 3 universities from Uganda.
The project seeks to build the Kenyan, Tanzanian and Ugandan Universities’ capacities to lead and manage innovation that best fits their countries’ inclusive and sustainable development needs
Kisii University partners with universities in SSA and UK to leverage carbon literacy FOR YOUTH EMPLOYABILITY AND JOB CREATION
Kisii University in collaboration with Sheffield Hallam University, Durban University of Technology, Ladoke Akintola University of Technology and Innovate Durban have been considered for Innovation for African Universities (IAU) grant from the British Council worth £60,000. In this project, the network seeks to address youth employability and job creation issues in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) through Carbon Literacy for Youth Employability and Job Creation (CL4YEJCP). In the immediate short term, the largest beneficiaries of CL4YEJCP will be the job seekers. The CL4YEJCP will create an awareness of carbon emission costs and impacts on everyday activities in a way that can be applied to any industry/sector. Designed in a way that not only potentially creates new job opportunities in our partner markets, the CL4YEJCP is designed to encourage regular self-reflection and innovative problem-solving skills and therefore provides students with both soft and tangible employability skills.
The project aims to innovatively tackle the severity of youth unemployment, disenfranchisement, and the lack of job creation capability for rapidly growing African populations, thus in envisioned to benefit several stakeholders who are currently negatively impacted by gaps between market demands and job seeker skills and abilities. For example, a major aim of the project is to localize and trans-create the Carbon Literacy materials and training into the appropriate ethnolinguistic contexts of our partnership network to maximise the project’s reach.Toachieve this, the partnership use our universities students and SSA languages specialists in the localization and transcreation process. This gives them experience and insight into the global language service industry where, although the market itself is estimated at over $50 billion worldwide, Africa shares only 0.05% of the market.
Through this project, the partners will realize their strategic aspiration to produce employable and entrepreneurially skilled graduates with higher potential to be well suited for the local and global job market and job creation. Moreover, the youths will gain an awareness of environmental and climate change issues including the carbon dioxide costs and impacts of everyday life activities, and the ability and motivation to reduce emissions, on an individual, community and organisational basis, in a way that can be applied to any industry or sector, as well as Green Innovation and Entrepreneurship opportunities.
The Kisii University team led by the Dean – School of Information Science and Technology, Dr. Mzee Awuor, includes Deputy Registrar – Resource Mobilization, Dr. Simion Omasaki, and Dr. Benard Maake, a lecturer in the Department of Computing Sciences seek to leverage Carbon Literacy to equip the youths with skills to engage in Green Innovation and Entrepreneurship ventures.
The project will run from October 2021 to September 2022.
Home to School Project https://www.hometoschool.info/
Project Title: A school closer to home: using mealtimes to foster language development, improve girls’ nutrition and align home and school in rural Kenya and Zambia
Kisii University through two of our staff Dr. Pamela Wadende (Developmental Psychologist and Postgraduate Studies Coordinator at the School of Education and Human Resource Development, Kisii University, Kericho Campus, Kenya) and Dr. Grace Koteny (Department of Curriculum, Instruction and Media, Kisii University, Kericho Campus, Kenya) won a competitive research grant with Aston University – UK.
They now have an ongoing collaboration between academics from Kenya, Zambia, and the UK at the Nanyuki site. We as a research office wish to recognize and congratulate their exemplary scholarly output. We encourage our staff during this covid period to emulate them and work on research efforts more and we will keep recognizing such endeavors.
The group is developing a new way to address educational disadvantage in rural Africa, through collaboration between academics from Kenya, Zambia and the UK, teachers, families and community groups. The group aims to connect home and school learning by working with teachers from Early Childhood Education and Development programmes (ECDE; for children aged 4–6 years). Their work can be followed at https://www.hometoschool.info/