Scholars Converge For Webinar on Migration and Health

Various scholars from around the world came together on 27 January 2014 for a web conference focusing on health consequences of migration. The event, titled ‘The Health Consequences of Migration: Emerging Directions in Scholarship and Research’, was held at each of the eight Global Centers of the Columbia Global Center around the globe. Some of the multidisciplinary scholars who graced the occasion included Jose Moya (Barnard College, USA), Khalid Koyer (Geneva Centre for Security Policy, Switzerland) and AMADPOC’s Executive Director Prof. John Oucho (Nairobi, Kenya).

The webinar, hosted by the Columbia Population Research Center in the School of Social Work in Amsterdam, delved on the health impacts of migration and sought to establish a worldwide network of health and migration scholars who can continuously engage in the conversation for the coming decade. The global debate, featuring discussions at each of CGC’s centers, further shed light on Surveillance and Research Challenges as well as the Politics of Migration and Health.

AMADPOC Executive Director Prof. John Oucho during Monday's web conference at the Columbia Global Center Africa headquarters in Nairobi (Picture courtesy of www.amadpoc.org).

At the CGC Africa headquarters in Nairobi, Prof. Oucho highlighted the health problems that come with rural-urban migration in the capital cities of three Eastern African countries: Addis Ababa (Ethiopia), Kampala (Uganda) and Nairobi (Kenya). His presentation titled, ‘Health Consequences of Migration in Informal Settlements in Informal Settlements in Eastern Africa,’ revealed that poor urban infrastructure and lack of employment opportunities had driven urban migrants to informal settlements where they had replicated their rural lifestyles. Prof. Oucho reiterated the need to understand urban informal settlements in the context of environmental conditions, health challenges and housing.

The web conference  earmarked the need to identify potential collaborators in migration and health as well as the importance of assisting students and young scholars in this discipline. The conglomeration of scholars also agreed on the importance of identifying activities and themes for networking.

The Columbia Global Centers Africa began its operations in Kenya in January 2012 after signing a Host Country Agreement with the Kenyan government. It aims to enable the highest levels of knowledge and learning for and in the African continent. It also endeavours to create a hub for global curriculum and scholarly outreach in Africa. Other CGC Centers are stationed in New York (USA), Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), Santiago (Chile), Amman (Jordan), Mumbai (India), Istanbul (Turkey) and Beijing (China).