Sandra Ruong’o

They say climate change is like a creeper plant. We see the effects as they pillage the environment, yet we rarely stop to reflect what caused them, are they avoidable, can they be mitigated or eliminated altogether?

Drought, famine, excessive floods, disease patterns, threats of inadequate water are familiar terms to most. Some we consider too abstract, associated with too technical jargon or maybe sometimes we might think sustainable development is out of our depths.

But sadly, there are communities that live such experiences. They cannot ignore the harrowing effects of climate change. They count loss of lives, loss of livelihood, death of crops and livestock.  

Her mission is to make climate change everyone’s agenda.

This is where Sandra comes in, with her lenses. It’s her voice. She is a multimedia storyteller who shows the world how climate change affects and influences development, health, gender, politics and businesses in Kenya and Africa.

Through photography, film, and creative arts, she amplifies the voices of communities affected by the devastating effects of climate change to bring the matter to urgency of policy makers. She has also shone light to the efforts by individual champions, government bodies and local communities to mitigate those challenges.

She takes a sociological approach, and some of her works depict how women are increasingly more vulnerable to climate change, but are also the best allies in mitigating it.

 Collaborations!

Her work has provided valuable qualitative data to scientists working with communities on climate change disruptions.

She has told the story of how cassava brown steak disease has robbed farmers in Kenya and Uganda of their staple food and worked with scientists to strengthen the capacity of extension workers to diagnose CBSD (https://www.apsnet.org/members/engagement/oip/Documents/A4%20Case%20Study%20Poster%20APS%202015%2C%20USA.pdf) (In collaboration with Augustana University - Sioux Falls, Iowa State University, Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization)

She has worked with students to highlight how donor funding towards global health has influenced the socio-economic welfare of rural communities in Kenya (https://sites.bu.edu/pghs/kenya-project/pamojatogether/). With funding from the Bill and Melinda Gates, “Pamoja Together” was a collaboration between Boston University (USA), the Great Lakes University and Jaramogi Odinga Odinga University of Science and Technology).

She has also worked in the Office of the Prime Minister of Kenya who is also the Africa Union envoy on Infrastructure, Rt. Hon. Raila Odinga.

In 2022, she worked remotely with the United Nations in Geneva on the International Women’s Day highlighting women’s role in sustainability. https://www.facebook.com/UN.Geneva/videos/647965319614891

Her projects have been short-listed in two categories of the East African Wildlife Photo Competition, the premier Nature photography competition in the East African region.

Sandra holds a BA in Communications and Media Technology from Maseno University in Kenya, and a professional certificate in Business and Sustainability from the European Business University in Luxembourg.

To create awareness and inspire action, she has organised and participated in two photo exhibitions, one, a solo exhibition that acknowledged women at the forefront of climate change adaptation and mitigation in Kenya dubbed “climate heroines”, the other “Olameyu“, a group exhibition that highlighted the plight of the pastoral communities in dealing with drought.

Based in Nairobi, Sandra can be reached at: ruongosandra@gmail.com

https://nation.africa/kenya/news/gender/photojournalist-gives-women-a-voice-in-conservation-3761414

https://www.standardmedia.co.ke/opinion/article/2001460890/on-climate-change-current-and-historical-emitters-must-act-responsibly

https://www.standardmedia.co.ke/sso/?content=eyJpdiI6ImFlV0huaWgrTG1ZWXNNMWNFYkl2OWc9PSIsInZhbHVlIjoiWEJtZ