Wassa Diarrassouba, originally from Côte d’Ivoire, arrived at Hamburg University of Applied Sciences in Germany at the beginning of April. Wassa will stay at their “Sustainable Development and Climate Change Management Research and Transfer Center” for a period of 6 months until the end of October 2024.
Professor Walter Leal, who is responsible for the center, and his team welcomed me into their unit to work jointly on my research project which focuses on the impact of climate variability on the prevalence of schistosomiasis and malaria among schoolchildren in the central-west of Côte d’Ivoire.
My journey in climate change and education began with my application to the West African Service Center on Climate Change and Adapted Land Use (WASCAL). I was selected at University of the Gambia in the Department of Climate Change and Education where I am now pursuing my PhD.
I obtained my higher education certificate, my bachelor’s degree in Water Science and Technology, then later my master’s degree in Geoscience and Environment at Nangui Abrogoua University in Abidjan (Côte d’Ivoire). My master’s project was in the WASH program in primary schools in Africa, more precisely in Côte d’Ivoire.
I would like my PhD project to be a contribution to the effects and challenges posed by climate change on the health of schoolchildren, more precisely on the adaptation and mitigation of the most vulnerable populations. Also, it could help politicians and decision-makers to formulate recommendations related to public health in Africa, more precisely in Côte d’Ivoire.