Advancing climate-health research in Sierra Leone.

Research continues to progress in Sierra Leone as MEER explores a new collaboration with the international health NGO Solthis to demonstrate passive cooling technologies within the new maternity ward at Tombo Community Health Centre. The proposed project would provide an opportunity to evaluate some of MEER's latest passive cooling materials in a real-world healthcare environment while generating high-quality scientific evidence on their performance.

The collaboration goes beyond simply cooling a building. It is designed as a comprehensive climate-health research programme that would monitor how passive cooling affects indoor temperatures, thermal comfort and heat exposure for healthcare workers, mothers and newborn babies. By combining engineering measurements with environmental and human-centred research, the project aims to build one of the most comprehensive datasets yet produced on passive cooling within a tropical healthcare setting.

Healthcare facilities across Africa are becoming increasingly vulnerable to rising temperatures and extreme heat. Demonstrating practical, low-energy cooling technologies in operational medical facilities has the potential to support more climate-resilient healthcare infrastructure while reducing reliance on expensive, energy-intensive cooling systems.

The partnership also represents an important step in expanding international collaboration on climate adaptation. If successful, it could provide a foundation for future joint projects exploring passive cooling technologies, reflective shading systems and other innovative approaches to protecting vulnerable communities from the growing impacts of extreme heat across the region.