Q&A: Rethinking African homes for a hotter future

In many regions of Africa, deciding whether to keep a window open is a complex issue. Opening a window allows air circulation, which cools the space and makes sleeping more comfortable during hot nights. However, this action also exposes the home to mosquitoes carrying malaria. This conundrum represents a broader challenge faced by vulnerable communities worldwide, as highlighted by Daniel Kwaro, a climate and health scientist at the Kenya Medical Research Institute.

Together with his team, they are working to enhance the resilience of communities in Africa to the impacts of climate change.

Kwaro's work centers on building resilience among resource-limited populations, a crucial step in addressing the already severe effects of climate change in Africa. Heat plays a significant role in people's behavior, leading them to limit their activities during the hottest parts of the day. However, as climate change progresses, the window of cooler working hours is expected to narrow, posing additional challenges.

To address the tension between ventilation and mosquito protection, Kwaro and his colleagues are renovating houses to cool themselves passively without relying on electricity. They use reflective roofing to deflect radiant heat away from the house and install windows with screens to prevent mosquito entry. The entire house is screened, providing comprehensive protection. This approach differs from traditional mosquito net strategies, which often fall short due to distribution limitations and timing issues.

Community involvement is central to the design process. Kwaro's team held workshops with community members to brainstorm solutions, create physical prototypes, and refine designs. The community's input shaped the final screening designs, leading to variations in the approach based on local conditions. For example, in areas with high humidity, windows remained permanently open but were screened, while in other regions, windows remained operable with screens on just one side.

The intervention has shown promising results, with indoor mosquito populations reduced by approximately 70% and indoor temperatures decreased. Ongoing studies aim to evaluate the impact of these environmental changes on health and daily activities, using wearable devices to monitor factors like sleep quality and heart rate. The use of locally available materials ensures that the intervention can be sustained beyond the trial period.