GLOBE in Africa: Status, Opportunities, and Some Lessons Learned Rebecca Boger Deputy Director, International/U.S. Partnerships and Outreach GLOBE

Outline Overview of GLOBE in Africa National implementation: building communities of learning Regionalization –Sub-Saharan –Near East, including North Africa Challenges, opportunities and some lessons learned Local and regional scientist and student research themes –Example, Madagascar malaria project

GLOBE in Africa: Some Stats GLOBE Partners: 26 Discussions with Algeria, Burundi, Guinea-Bissau, and Malawi to join GLOBE Teachers trained: Over 850 GLOBE Schools represented: Over 500 Number of data reported: Over 900,000 Caveat: not all schools and teachers are participating

GLOBE Stars: A Vibrant Region

Africa Highlights Regional workshops and meetings in Niger, November 2005 and in Uganda, January 2006 –Resulting in 10 Master Trainers and 16 in the pipeline (French and English speaking) –Representatives from 19 countries Consortium Planning Committee formed –Draft Constitution –Plans for a regional Web site Regional Training Center inaugurated in Yaoundé, Cameroon, November 2005 Cameroon National Science Teacher Association formed –Regional model

GLOBE Learning Communities: Implementation Networks Often national implementation involves different organizations –Ministry of Education and/or Ministry of Environment –U.S. based organizations e.g., USAID, Peace Corps, U.S. Embassies –UN organizations, e.g., UNDP, UNEP, UNESCO –National and International NGOs GLOBE offers existing networks and/or opportunities to build new networks

GLOBE Regional Consortia

Benefits from Regional Consortia Regions initiated consortia independently of GLOBE Program Office –Africa and Near East in planning stages –Natural development as GLOBE matures in region Consortia offer opportunities to: –Secure funding –Promote school-to-school communications –Develop regional science projects –Hold regional events for GLOBE schools

Challenges for Implementing GLOBE in Africa Resources – equipment, printed material, computer/Internet access Effective communication Rewards for teachers and students Ministry and school administration support –Frequently changing officials –Teachers frequently change school locations Perceived as U.S. donor program Lack of diversified funding base for local and national implementation Engaging African universities and National Meteorological Services

Opportunities “The quintessentially ideal program for involving kids in science” Nobel Laureate, Dr. Leon Lederman GLOBE has relevance for African students and teachers; engaging and exciting Despite challenges, many accomplishments

Some Lessons Learned Countries and regions need local champions Takes time to institutionalize GLOBE materials in schools Important to have Ministry level support for sustainable implementation Implementation requires involving multiple organizations

Madagascar Malaria Project An Example of a Regionally- Relevant Project

Project Objectives To develop a protocol for identifying Anopheles and non-Anopheles mosquitoes. –Provide valuable data that relate environmental conditions to breeding patterns of malaria-bearing and non- malaria-bearing mosquitoes. To increase the understanding of the causes, prevention and life cycle of malaria among students, teachers, and communities. To develop partnerships between public health professionals and GLOBE schools in Madagascar.

Why GLOBE? GLOBE Program provides an ideal framework: –highly structured system for defining experiment protocols that ensure consistent procedures, –widely dispersed network of observing sites, and –centralized data collection and reporting system (although, raises questions about how to share data from regionally- developed protocols). Current GLOBE protocols for basic meteorological and water quality are already in place. Current emphasis by GLOBE on developing stronger national and regional programs focused on environmental issues of national and regional concern.

Implementation: The Collaborators GLOBE/Madagascar (Mr. Rafalimanana), Ministry of Education University of Antananarivo (Entomology and Chemistry Departments) Ministry of Health Centre National d’Applications et des Rescherches Pharmeceuticques (CNARP) Dr. David Brooks, Drexel University GLOBE Program Office

Project Implementation Spring 2005: Discussions about formation of project. September 2005: Schools selected for pilot project; GLOBE teacher workshops for selected schools. October 2005: Draft protocol developed for the collection and identification of mosquito larvae; field testing and evaluation. –Some difficulty in collecting samples. –100% correct identification of Anopheles mosquito. Spring 2006: first data reports from schools.

Remarks In less than one year, a new protocol has been developed and implemented, primarily by the GLOBE Program in Madagascar. This is a huge achievement given the challenges in a developing country. Government, education, and public health officials have taken ownership of the project. Preliminary data demonstrate the validity of the project concept. They already show some interesting data trends, raise new questions, and suggest where improvements can be made in this protocol.