Written by Agnes Mwangi & Dan Orero

In collaboration with the Nairobi Women Hospital, the HIV/AIDS Committee at CEMASTEA organized a one-day medical camp on HIV-AIDS, Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) and mental wellness. The 3rd December event was attended by CEMASTEA staff, Karen Medical Training College (KMTC) students, and neighbouring communities. Main activities included expert talks on non-communicable diseases such as diabetes, cancers, hypertension and mental wellness. Participants also had their vitals such as blood pressure, Body Mass Index (BMI) and blood glucose levels checked upon which those with concerns got a one on one consultation with a doctor.

A staff at CEMASTEA staff having his vitals checked

While making her opening remarks, Director CEMASTEA urged everyone to live responsibly and adopt healthy body, mind, and soul habits as this reduces the risk of contracting some NCD’s diseases and help one live a healthy lifestyle.

Ms Agnes Mwangi, Chair of, HIV Committee at CEMASTEA and event organizer, noted that NCDs are becoming a growing concern, especially with people living with HIV. Research has shown that while one may present with NCDs before HIV infection, the NCDs are made worse by HIV, prompting the need to incorporate management of other chronic conditions into HIV care. A doctor from Nairobi Women Hospital and a group of nurses gave a talk on HIV-AIDS, mental health, and healthy living. A healthy diet and constant exercise were cited as the top priorities for a person willing to live healthily and is particularly important for people who spend most of their time working in offices. 

Written by Thuo Karanja

CEMASTEA was among the 14 government institutions and agencies awarded a National Innovation Award at the inaugural Kenya Innovation Week (KIW) 2021. This was in recognition of the role the CEMASTEA plays in building the capacities of STEM teachers in innovative pedagogy and having innovative STEM programmes. Kenya Innovation Week (KIW) is a flagship innovation forum run by the Kenya National Innovation Agency (KENIA).

The forum took place at the Kenya School of Government (KSG) from 6^th to 10^th December 2021 sought to showcase the innovativeness of Kenyans, champion relevant policy engagements on innovations and strengthen the research and commercialization practices for more significant socio-economic impact. Government agencies, students from schools, colleges and universities, the private sector, development partners, media and civil society attended the event. Key activities and forum tracks included keynote speeches, exhibitions, panel discussions, networking, hackathons and start-up pitches.

 The Chief Guest during the forum was Mr Joe Mucheru, Cabinet Secretary, Ministry of ICT, Youth and Innovation. Keynote speakers included Amb. Simon Nabukwesi, Principal Secretary, State Department for University Education and Kadri Humal Ayal, Honorary Consul - The Republic of Estonia in Kenya and Patricia Scotland Secretary-General, Commonwealth.

 One innovation at the exhibition was Track and Save a Life (TASAL). It was developed by a Community-Based Organisation (CBO) named) in Moyale Sub County, founded by Dahabo Adi Galgallo, an epidemiologist working with the Ministry of Health; Marsabit County. was awarded Kshs. 800,000 for their innovation that helps combat maternal deaths. The CBO works with expectant mothers by fitting them with an electronic GPS and culturally accepted embroidered bead bracelets to track and relay the wearer’s position to health workers via a web or android-based application. This enables healthcare workers to pinpoint the wearer within cellular network coverage hence helping provide Antenatal Care (ANC).

 Students from St. Thomas Girls, Kilifi, stole the show with a powerful closing ceremony pitch done in the presence of the Chief Guest for the closing ceremony Chief Guest Amb. Nabukwesi. Key sponsors for the event, included Villgro Africa and Konza Technopolis, who were looking for potential scalable and sustainable innovations with business models for commercialization. The best exhibition was awarded USD, 5000 and 1st and 2nd runners up getting USD 3000 and USD 2000 accordingly. Teachers aiming to participate in science and engineering fair projects should not miss this event in future.

Written by Francis Kamau

During teaching and learning mathematics, it’s vital to let learners know the life application of the concepts they learn; this enhances their interest and motivation. One topic in mathematics that has numerous real-life experiences is the loci. As learners carry out their daily activities and interact with the environment, they come across the application of loci in many instances. This may include opening and closing a door, animal tethering, road marking, land subdivision, use of sprinklers, wall clocks. Locus is also used in engineering, sports and air traffic control.

However, understanding the concept of loci does not come easy to most learners. One reason is that teaching loci has mainly been done theoretically with few innovative activities to visualize the idea. KNEC reports constantly reveal that most students cannot, using a ruler and a pair of compasses, accurately construct and locate the locus of points. Further studies by CEMASTEA frequently indicate that loci are among the mathematics topics considered challenging to teach and learn.