Growing up on Funzi Island, a settlement in Kenya, Cinzia Torriani, a Diploma Programme 1 student at the Aga Khan Academy Mombasa, has seen the impact climate change can have on the environment and the people within it. 

“I saw the aquatic life in the bay that surrounded a part of the island deteriorate over time,” Cinzia said. “Fish disappeared from the easy view of the waters, dolphins, which would appear annually, stopped appearing, and I would even hear stories of animals that were once habitants of the bay as now a distant memory. Contrary to this, the number of fishermen stayed the same, and at some point, every small fish in the ocean was being caught to feed a fisherman’s family. I realised that a majority of the motives put in place on the island for helping the environment served little purpose towards establishing a feasible way forward to ensure locals, who depend on the ocean, would remain economically stable.” 

By seeing this and her parents’ personal initiatives toward the environment, Cinzia channeled her energy into becoming an environmental activist, focusing on ways to better her environment while also keeping in mind the local community. 

“My goal is to ensure sustainable economic and ecological development to consider both my love for my surroundings, but also the community,” Cinizia said. 

Taking action 

One of the first initiatives Cinzia made in relation to her goal happened a year ago during her Year 10 personal project, which allows students to collaborate with individuals in their local community to address an issue or challenge. Cinzia created an integrated farming system combining a fish farm, chicken farm and maize farm in a self-sufficient cycle. Through this system, human efficiency would be maximised; the harvest timeline would be effectively eradicated; and locals would be provided with an alternative and more productive way to get fish from the ocean.

“I was able to build this system and present it to the locals in my community while also further spreading the word about my personal project,” Cinzia said. 

Following the completion of her personal project, Cinzia was able to further spread her message about the environment by speaking at the 2019 TEDxYouth event held at the Academy. In her talk, Cinzia spoke about the importance of fighting complacency in order for action to be taken toward the environment, while also discussing her personal project as a way of implementing a new agricultural system. 

“This was one of the most thrilling and greatest memories I hold,” Cinzia said. “I was able to use my voice as a way to spread my opinions and ideas on what mattered to me to a group of people who were interested in listening. From this, my story was published in one of the nation’s newspapers, Business Daily, about my project, my TEDx talk and my future goals. This provided me with the opportunity to convey my message about environmental sustainability to a larger audience.”

During this academic year, Cinzia has taken steps to further her goal and spread awareness about the environment. This was seen during the Academy’s annual Peace Summit, which is a two-day event bringing together students from the Academy and around Mombasa to discuss peace and conflict resolution. The theme for this year’s Summit was “Climate Action for Peace” with Cinzia being selected as the female student lead for the event. 

“The aim of the Summit was to take students through several thought-provoking and interactive activities to question their stand as activists for peace, linking this directly to the environment’s state,” Cinzia said. “From discussions on the dangers of rising sea levels, to water scarcity, to the impacts of desertification and drought, the students promoted the value of being environmentally conscious and reflecting on the actions of mankind.” 

Another way Cinzia was able to spread awareness about the environment was through community service. As part of the International Baccalaureate, Diploma Programme students have to create a community service group or be a part of an existing one. For Cinzia, she saw this as an opportunity to reconnect with the local community and spread awareness. 

“My friend and I created a community service project at the Academy called iSEAyou,” Cinzia said. “Our current goals include making use of polluted materials to create purchasable furniture and art, as well as promoting sustainable environmental development without any implications on the economic standards of members of society through creating and building projects, such as those I proposed in my personal project.” 

Looking forward

As Cinzia continues to decide what she wants to study when she goes to university, she said she will always be an environmental activist wherever she goes. and is forever grateful for those who have guided her to get to where she is. 

“I feel that no matter what career path I go into, it has become a hobby and a joy to raise awareness on the environment and work towards more environmentally-friendly systems in society,” Cinzia said. 

For Cinzia, being an environmental activist doesn’t mean dedicating your entire life to the environment. She said anyone can be an advocate for the environment through various, simple ways. 

“Personally I feel that simply having the strive to make a difference completely changes the path for society in order to reach end goals,” Cinzia said. “I feel that students at the Academy should work towards becoming more environmentally-conscious throughout their day-to-day lives to take little actions that make a great difference. Involvement in different initiatives taking place at the Academy also helps grow one’s character, and I feel that this is a prospect that should not be missed. I would actively encourage students to join these different teams and groups and work towards the betterment of the planet.”

Reflecting on the time she has spent so far at the Academy, Cinzia said she appreciates the supportive and nurturing environment at the Academy, which has opened many doors of opportunity for her. She said she is also grateful for her friends and family who have guided her and stood by her side throughout this all. 

“The Aga Khan Academy Mombasa has instilled lifelong ethical values in me,” Cinzia said. “Through this education, I have gained a great awareness on the importance of continuously considering my environment and my community in decision-making. The values of giving back to your community and the opportunities provided by the Academy to do so are endless and truly incredible. My teachers at the Academy were one of my anchors of support as they continuously encouraged me to reach my goals and push harder. I cannot give enough gratitude to Mrs. Susan Abuto who, as the head of the Individuals and Societies department, has guided me throughout this journey, especially in spearheading this academic year’s Peace Summit. I also would not have been able to reach many of my goals without the support of my friends, family and special people in my life who stood by my side throughout this long process.”

During the 2017-18 academic year, 18 Academy students volunteered at the Blue Cross of Hyderabad as part of a CAS project for spreading awareness about improving the treatment and living conditions of animals. Among them was grade 12 student Shaivya Arya.  “It has been a source of motivation to help those who cannot help themselves,” she says, “to raise a voice for those who do not have their own.”

 

Animal welfare organisation Blue Cross of Hyderabad provides ceaseless support to animals in the city by improving their living conditions, and changing people’s mindset about animal rights. Academy students volunteer regularly at the Blue Cross as part of their CAS activities. Student volunteers walk and groom dogs, assist the shelter’s administration staff and run introductory sessions for new volunteers. Shaivya’s activities were centered around the dogs of the blind and disabled ward. She learnt about dealing with cases of dog bites and interpreting dog behaviour. During her time at the shelter, Shaivya also attended a session by Blue Cross of Hyderabad co-founder, Amala Akkineni.

In her time as volunteer, Shaivya found herself in situations beyond her ken but felt pleasantly rewarded when she worked through them. “Gradually, I learnt how to handle unfamiliar situations without anyone's assistance,” she says. “The work experience serves as a method to identify our strengths and weaknesses.” Shaivya says that working at the Blue Cross has improved her communication, organization and time management skills. 

Shaivya is passionate about animal rights advocacy. Before her stint at Blue Cross, she conducted surveys for her personal project, ‘Ethical Treatment Toward Animals,’ to better gauge the issue of animal abuse. “What we do not realise is that activities such as visiting the circus, the zoo or even purchasing a certain product can contribute to animal abuse,” she said. Shaivya went on to lead a successful fundraiser for the Blue Cross at the Academy’s parent teacher meeting in January 2018, raising ₹34,000. The money went toward vaccination programs for strays in the city.

Shaivya’s group members at Blue Cross constantly supported her. She credits them with helping her through tough situations and reflects on how they grew together. According to her, the team’s diversity directly impacted the work they did at the shelter. Dogs would run away from baths or refuse to be groomed and Shaivya notes that that could have been frustrating if it wasn’t for her friends alongside her.

“Each one of us has the power to make a change,” says Shaivya. “To save an innocent creature’s life, to help animals. It is time we make this a better world for us, for them, for all.”

Being a global citizen, leader and environmental enthusiast is no easy task. Prabhdeep Lochab’s story is a testament to the hard work, dedication and commitment that goes into innovating “green” solutions for a sustainable future.

A second-year Diploma student at the Aga Khan Academy campus in Mombasa, Prabhdeep Lochab was the gold medal recipient at the Golden Climate International Science Fair Olympiad for his “plastic concrete” invention.

“I wanted to come up with something unique which was practical and easy to carry out,” Prabhdeep says. For his project, Prabhdeep aimed to alleviate pollution in construction, using plastic in a concrete-mix for construction of infrastructure for non-commercial construction. This concrete could be used to construct walkways, driveways, and parks.

When asked about his motivation to pursue a science project for the fair, Prabhdeep said “I have a personal interest in science and I love inventing and being creative to help find solutions to everyday problems.” The simple yet effective solution Prabhdeep managed to devise exhibits his passion for the sciences, as well as his passion to solve environmental issues on a local and global level.

When reflecting on the process, Prabhdeep claimed that it was very challenging to balance school work and extracurricular activities along with finding time to work on his invention. 

“I would come up with a new idea every meeting and it was rejected as being either to simple or relatively complicated to carry out. It was very frustrating but I was committed and I kept on trying,” he says.

He appreciates the meeting time he had during the science club that was offered, as he was able to use that time to discuss his ideas with teachers and create a research plan. “We met once every week on Tuesday to discuss the progress of our ideas and concepts that we wanted to use as our projects. Being a part of this group really pushed me to my limits.”

After much struggle and careful mentoring from his science teachers, Mr Godfrey Kokeyo and Mr Charles Gumba, at the Academy, Prabhdeep’s project progressed to the national level. For Prabhdeep, the experience was already so fulfilling because of the hard work, dedication and commitment that went into creating the project. “I realized what a huge event this was and that it was something big to come as far as I had. I knew that I had achieved something great even if I didn’t win anything,” Prabhdeep shared. 

Prabhdeep had the opportunity to represent the Academy and his country, Kenya, at the international level at the Golden Climate International Science Fair Olympiad. His project was shared with various ministers from Kenyan environmental authorities and also in front of a panel of judges, who are all acclaimed scientists in their respective fields. His work was particularly recognized for the detailed lab report, experimentation process and presentation of data using a diverse range of media (graphs, text, etc).

Prabhdeep and his parents were both pleasantly surprised when his project was not only awarded the gold medal in his category, but was also awarded a special prize from the National Environmental Management Authority.

For Prabhdeep, this opportunity was so rewarding as he claims it helped him increase awareness of his personal strengths and helped him grow as an individual. 

Through this experience, not only was Prabhdeep able to devise a simple solution to help alleviate pollution, but he was also able to apply skills learned in the classroom at a practical level such as writing lab reports and representing data. His hard work, dedication and commitment to make the world a better place is evident in the accolades his project received at the Golden Climate International Science Fair Olympiad.

By Karishma Bhagani 

Aga Khan Academy Hyderabad alumna (Class of 2018), Sarah Keshvani is currently in her first year at the University of Victoria, Canada. She plans to major in either biological sciences, with a concentration in neuroscience or kinesiology, or biochemistry. 

Sarah’s love for the sciences flourished during the Diploma Programme (DP) at the Academy in Hyderabad. Through her extended essay, she found the opportunity to learn more about how biology can provide solutions to modern challenges faced in local communities. She decided to tackle the issue of water shortages and soil nutrient deficiencies hindering large scale rice cultivation in the state of Telangana, leading to reduced crop yields. Due to zinc deficiencies in the soil, farmers resort to using huge amounts of fertilisers, which further degrade soil quality.

Sarah’s research centred on hydroponics as a possible solution to this problem. Plants are grown in water-based, nutrient solutions instead of soil.

“This technique has recently garnered a lot of attention because experiments have shown that growth is more than doubled when compared to traditional methods of agriculture,” Sarah explained. “Nutrient uptake is more efficient, and farmers can control the type of nutrients the plant is exposed to, in order to enhance different features of the yield. The use of water in hydroponics is still much more efficient than how it is used in open paddy fields that need to be covered in water during certain times of the crop cycle.”

“I designed my semi-closed hydroponics system based on the deep water culture technique,” Sarah elaborated. “Instead of buying the nutrient solution, I made my own. I wanted to specifically observe and analyse the effect of zinc uptake on the plant’s overall health. So I used four different zinc concentrations, and for the fifth set of plants, zinc was not added at all. Data was recorded over the course of three weeks. The effect of zinc was analysed through five variables: shoot length, root:shoot ratio, chlorophyll content, biomass and relative water content percentage. The goal was to find out an optimal concentration of zinc from those four different concentrations.”

Sarah’s conclusions were positive. Rapid growth was observed and the flexibility to control the nutrient uptake played a huge role in optimal plant health. She realised that a closed system would have provided more accurate results, as the higher evaporation rates disturbed the pH levels. Overall though, she deduced this technique could definitely tackle the challenges faced by paddy farmers.  

Sarah’s work with hydroponics was instrumental in securing her a role as a molecular biology research assistant at university. Her duties include assisting professors and doctorate students in their research; basic lab maintenance and keeping stocks; preparing bacterial and plant growth media; plant samples; and solutions for analysis. She also gets to work with graduate and PhD students on experiments involving nucleic acid isolation, amplification and cloning.

“The IB curriculum followed at the Academy has played a pivotal role in building many essential skills for university life,” Sarah reflected when asked how she has settled into this new phase. “The emphasis on academic integrity and independence have served me really well here. I was taught to think critically rather than blindly follow textbooks. Its skill-based learning approach, and connecting classroom learning to the real world, also prepared me well for higher education.”

The 2017 – 2018 academic year will be my fourth and final year at the Aga Khan Academy in Mombasa. As I approach graduation in June 2018 and reflect on the person I was when I joined the Academy from Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, I am grateful for how much I have grown as an individual and the opportunities I have been able to access.

Through the Academy I have made many of my dreams a reality. I created a project to advocate for the rights of people with albinism in Tanzania, I have ameliorated my skills within the arts, I have coordinated a youth organisation, and most importantly I am a leader and work hard to have a positive impact on my peers.

I am extremely passionate about fighting for the rights of people with albinism in Tanzania. I have always wanted to do something to help the disadvantaged and underprivileged within my community, and I was first able to do so at the Academy in Mombasa. In Year 10 I filmed a documentary for my Personal Project raising awareness about the stigma and plight surrounding persons with albinism, with an aim to educate both the Tanzanian and Kenyan communities on this issue. I continued fighting for this cause through my TEDx talk at the Academy called “Souls Worth Living Too” where I spoke about the issue and my project, encouraging others to take action as well. This was a huge step for me, and the talk was shared on the official TEDx YouTube page.

I chose to continue this project through my Extended Essay, investigating the way in which the discrimination of people living with albinism in Tanzania affects their level of development. The experience I had while conducting research was eye opening. Although change has been made over the years the Tanzanian community still has a long way to go. I want to continue this project in a more artistic and service-oriented way once I graduate this academic year. I plan on doing so mainly through photography and film projects as well as confidence training, awareness and literacy programs.

Furthermore, the Academy has given me the opportunity to carry out other projects for causes I am equally passionate about such as women’s rights and feminism. I am currently the Director of a youth organisation called Stand Up Shout Out (SUSO) Mombasa which carries out several projects in areas such as the environment and education. This year I created a new project known as “Stand Up Shout Out Against Rape Culture Campaign”. Our first event was a Mombasa-wide conference in which students from different schools and socio-economic backgrounds came together to discuss this issue and provide potential solutions. This was a dream come true for me as I was able to create a project to tackle this issue that is deeply rooted within our communities and often disregarded.  Before I graduate and in my capacity as Director I would like to complete the SUSO Feed A Soul Khadija Library project, where we are building a library for the children of Khadija Primary School.

Music is also an area that I am deeply passionate about. Although I grew up in a musical family, I was able to grow tremendously as a musician once I joined the Academy. In addition to being an active member of the school choir, I write my own music and perform both inside and outside school. Being part of the school choir has allowed me to acquire more skills and to become a stronger singer and musician. Most importantly it has boosted my confidence and allowed me to encourage other musically-talented students to explore music and to help them grow in this area. There is nothing more rewarding than assisting someone in developing their ability to express themselves, to show their passions and to produce art. Music is a huge part of my identity, and at the Academy, I have been able to foster this part of myself.

In Diploma One [first year of the Diploma Programme], I was the Student Council Expression Representative. This role was extremely fulfilling and greatly contributed to my personal growth. I ensured that I would use my position to do the most and the best for the student community at the Academy in Mombasa. I pushed myself to come up with different and innovative ideas, and create opportunities that allowed students to express their talents and passions. Some of the projects and events I introduced include a Musical Theatre enrichment, a Coachella Festival aimed at allowing students to share their talents in visual and performing arts as well as music. 

Following this, I was elected as Student Council President for the 2017 – 2018 academic year. Through this opportunity, I have gained new skills and been exposed to new experiences. As President I feel as though it is my duty to be approachable, relatable and a friend to every student in the school. I want to ensure that the student body is able to express their thoughts, that individuals are able to grow in different aspects of their lives and that every student finds their passion within the Academy.

Being a part of the Aga Khan Academy Mombasa community has allowed me to grow tremendously, to express my talents and passions, to fight for what I believe in and to have a positive impact on those around me. Through the various activities in which I have participated and the leadership positions that I have held, I believe that I have discovered my identity and what I want to achieve in my life. I intend on pursuing architecture, a discipline that will allow me to combine my love for art, my intellectual interests as well as my long term goal to serve my community in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

Although I have chosen a career path, I will continue to do music, photography, film, visual art as well as community and service due to the fact that these are all areas which form my identity and that I am passionate about.

I am very grateful for the lessons and education I have received and believe that the Aga Khan Academy in Mombasa has equipped me with the skills and experiences to achieve my long term goals.

By Arzoo Rajpar