# Girawa

> Planetary Health at the Core of Education


## Posts

- [International Youth Club Update: Students Share Insights on Tree Planting and Climate Change](https://girawa.org/international-youth-club-update-students-share-insights-on-tree-planting-and-climate-change/): Young people from Brazil, Sri Lanka, and Kenya connected virtually on November 2nd, 2024, for an engaging dialogue focused on tree planting, climate change, and planetary health as part of the Girawa International Youth Club. The meeting, organized by the Girawa Project, provided a platform for students to share their experiences, perspectives, and ideas related to environmental stewardship. The meeting was attended by three students from the Brazil youth clubs, 3 students from the Pleasant Hope Academy, Kenya and 22 students from 5 of the Foundation of Goodness’ Village Heartbeat Empowerment (VHE) Centres in the north and east of Sri […]
- [Celebrating the launch of International Girawa Youth Club](https://girawa.org/launch-of-international-girawa-youth-club/): Last year Girawa founded the Planetary Health Youth Clubs in Brazil beginning with communities in Lins, and Taubaté cities in Brazil. Participating students carried out activities in their local communities such as growing vegetables, visiting local museums and water supply infrastructure, and interviewing local experts and academics. (Read more here and here). The next aim was to create youth clubs in Sri Lanka making the initiative an international collaboration.  The morning of August 10, 2024 marked a great milestone for Girawa as the Youth Club Project held its first international online meeting between members of the Brazil Youth Club and […]
- [Girawa Youth Club grows in 2024](https://girawa.org/girawa-youth-club-grows-in-2024/)
- [Sri Lanka update - Learning about the Importance of Plants](https://girawa.org/sri-lanka-update-learning-about-the-importance-of-plants/): Sri Lankan students based in the Foundation of Goodness’ (FOG) Sixteen Village Heartbeat Empowerment (VHE) Centres were introduced to the importance of plants to our planet’s ecosystems and human survival. The students were first introduced to the concept of photosynthesis – the basic biochemical process performed by plants which underpins our atmosphere’s oxygen levels. They learnt about how the vast majority of animals on our planet, including ourselves, depend on this oxygen to live, through another important biochemical process – respiration – which we use to create energy to function. The students then discussed how natural compounds released by plants, […]
- [Girawa launches its Planetary Health Youth Club](https://girawa.org/girawa-launches-the-planetary-health-youth-club/): Girawa is proud to announce the launch of its “Youth Club Project”, starting in Lins, Condor and Taubaté city in Brazil.  It aims to contribute to building the Planetary Health Next Generation Network, through providing support to the Planetary Health Ambassadors interested in implementing a Youth Club in their local communities for youth aged between 11 and 18 years. It began as a pilot project in February 2023. The Girawa team works to support six (6) Ambassadors  providing  mentoring and teaching materials to implement the Youth Clubs: Mentoring is carried out through online meetings once a month,  messaging platforms and  shared […]
- [Earth Day 2023: Girawa Reaches Poland!](https://girawa.org/earth-day-2023-girawa-reaches-poland/): To celebrate Earth Day in April 2023, students of the Calvary Captain Witold Pilecki State University of Malopolska in Oświęcim in Poland were taught about Planetary Health issues using teaching material created by Girawa. The lessons were conducted for students aged between 22 and 25, of the University’s Masters degree in Nursing. They touched on two major issues that they contend with every day: climate change and mental well-being. The participants were very engaged in the lectures and the topics proved to be of great importance to them. See the gallery below for photos from the day. Sylwia Bulik who […]
- [Partners update: Students learn about nutrition and air pollution](https://girawa.org/partners-update-students-learn-about-nutrition-and-air-pollution-2/): Students in Brazil and Sri Lanka have continued to benefit from Girawa’s teaching material covering nutrition and air pollution. First students associated with our partners Clube Saúde Planetária Lins (CSP Lins) based in the Lins district of São Paulo, Brazil benefited from Girawa’s teaching material covering nutrition which highlighted the issues caused by high levels of salt, sugar and red meat in our diets, which can not only increase the risk of diabetes, heart disease and cancer, but can also contribute to environmental destruction and the biodiversity crisis, due to the amount of land required for intensive farming and monocultures, […]
- [Girawa - Clube Saúde Planetária Lins partnership begins successfully](https://girawa.org/girawa-clube-saude-planetaria-lins-partnership-begins-successfully/): The partnership between Girawa and Clube Saúde Planetária Lins (CSP Lins) began in 2021 thanks to an invitation from Lucas Sulino Fernandes, the National Ambassador for Planetary Health appointed by the USP Planetary Health Research Group. Clube Saúde Planetária Lins is integrated into Clube Saúde Planetária Southeast and Clube Saúde Planetária Brazilian (https://sites.usp.br/cbsp/). Girawa has so far shared educational material on infectious diseases, with a focus on COVID-19. The material covers what viruses are, where they originate from, what dangers they present to humans, and hygiene measures that we must all take to protect ourselves from infection. It also covers […]
- [COP26: Will it be our last lifeline before its game over?](https://girawa.org/cop26-will-it-be-our-last-lifeline-before-its-game-over/): By Mikhail Caga-Anan COP26 is the United Nations conference that brings together almost all the world’s leaders to discuss and solve the major issue of climate change. COP stands for ‘Conference Of the Parties’ and will be the 26th annual summit scheduled to take place in Glasgow, Scotland from the 31st October to 12th November 2021. For years now since the late 19th Century, countless scientists from different disciplines with evidence from valid data, have continuously highlighted that anthropogenic (human) activity is the major cause of climate change. As we continue to burn more fossil fuels for energy, we release […]
- [Girawa partners with Saúde Planetária Lins – São Paulo](https://girawa.org/girawa-partners-with-saude-planetaria-lins-sao-paulo/): We are delighted to announce our new partnership with the Saúde Planetária branch serving the Lins district of São Paulo, Brazil. Saúde Planetária is an initiative first developed by the Planetary Health Research Group based in the Institute of Advanced Studies at the University of São Paulo (USP). The Institute specialises in Planetary Health research and education aiming to solve current problems facing the planet and society, such as in medicine, public health, environment, education, social sciences, engineering, and economics. It also leads the Planetary Health movement in Brazil, Latin America, and the Caribbean. USP is a member of the […]
- [How much does Human Welfare depend on Nature? | Part 4: Prioritising Planetary Health](https://girawa.org/how-much-does-human-welfare-depend-on-nature-part-4-prioritising-planetary-health/): Today many health policy analyses recognise the health issues occurring in response to climate change, such as the spread of tropical diseases and human migration due to the detrimental effect on resources. Health organisations seek to develop healthcare systems to cope with increasing demands that will emanate due to worsening climate change. However, as we have seen in the last three posts, there are many man-made issues that are causing both serious human health and environmental issues simultaneously and thus contributing to climate change. Nature has an abundance of complex mechanisms to deal with any challenge from pest control to […]
- [How much does Human Welfare depend on Nature? | Part 3: The Ecological Crisis](https://girawa.org/how-much-does-human-welfare-depend-on-nature-part-3-the-ecological-crisis/): In part 2, I explored how our desire for foods or substances that are detrimental to our health in excess, is leading to extensive environmental damage due to large scale manufacturing and waste. In this part, I will examine factors that have been well known to damage our environment for some time and explore how these factors are also damaging our well-being more directly than we think. Save our trees One of the first scientific concepts we learn in school is photosynthesis – the conversion of sunlight and carbon dioxide in the air into oxygen, by green chlorophyll contained in […]
- [How much does Human Welfare depend on Nature? | Part 2: Over-Consumption vs Planetary Health](https://girawa.org/how-much-does-human-welfare-depend-on-nature-part-2-over-consumption-vs-planetary-health/): In part 1, I examined the most potent sources of man-made pollution and their effects on the environment, wildlife and human health. In this part, I will explore how certain substances we consume in excess can not only damage our health and human rights, but also huge swathes of land are lost for nature.  Sugar Increasing levels of sugar in our food has become a great concern among health professionals as rates of diabetes, obesity – particularly among children – and heart disease are on the rise in the developed world, and are rapidly rising among younger people in the developing […]
- [How much does Human Welfare depend on Nature? | Part 1: Polluting the Planet](https://girawa.org/how-much-does-human-welfare-depend-on-nature-part-1-polluting-the-planet/): As I read about the environmental destruction carried out by multi-national corporations clearing land to grow palm oil, sugar cane and other crops in the book “Landgrabbers” by Fred Pearce, I learned how we are producing foodstuffs and other materials at an unnecessarily large scale to satisfy a human population accustomed to consumerism. While poorer populations who lived in harmony with nature for thousands of years, have their human rights neglected and even lose their lives. Consumerism is driving behaviour that eventually harms the long-term health and welfare of humanity. Increasing urbanisation and economic development means our lives are more […]
- [Girawa launches | Collaboration with Foundation of Goodness grows](https://girawa.org/girawa-launches-collaboration-with-foundation-of-goodness-grows/): Since mid-2020, UK-based scientist Dr. Anusha Seneviratne has been working with the Foundation of Goodness (FOG) in Sri Lanka, where she previously volunteered, to introduce a Planetary Health Course to the FOG’s Village Heartbeat Empowerment Centres. The course aims to increase awareness among rural schoolchildren that a healthy environment is essential for human health and survival. The course complements existing initiatives run by the FOG such as STEM education and the Goodness Agriculture Initiative. (More information at http://unconditionalcompassion.org/stem-education-and-planetary-health-education/). The course began at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in mid-2020, when the children returned to school for the first time […]

## Pages

- [Daniel Ezekiel](https://girawa.org/daniel-ezekiel/): Ezekiel Daniel Founder and Co-Lead Investigator Meet Dr. Anusha Anusha is a Lecturer in Human and Environmental Health Studies at Royal Holloway University of London. She holds a BSc and MRes in Biomedical Sciences, and a PhD in Vascular Immunology from Imperial College London, where she researched atherosclerotic vascular disease, and published several peer-reviewed papers in world-leading cardiovascular journals.   Her current research interests focus on how environmental factors such as pollution, infectious disease and medicinal plants affect atherosclerosis and inflammation in the human body (see her academic profile for more detail).   She contributed to a report on Non-Communicable Diseases for the […]
- [Meet Donovan](https://girawa.org/donovan/): Donovan Humphrey Franco Meet Donovan Donovan is Bachelor (Bachelor of Science) and Licensee in Biological Sciences from the Institute of Biosciences (IB) of the University of São Paulo (USP), where he develops his research. He is a certified Advanced environmental monitor by the USP Coastal Ecosystems Project, specializing in the Global Climate Change Trail model. He works in the area of University Extension through the structuring of networks linking Universities, Conservation Units and the surrounding public schools, with the objective of training teachers and their students in themes related to conservation and sustainability. He teaches students, with a focus on […]
- [Meet Vanessa Siviero](https://girawa.org/vanessa-s/): Vanessa Siviero Meet Vanessa Vanessa dos Santos Siviero graduated in Journalism at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS) specialising in Communications at ESPM University and Marketing at IBGEN University. She is currently a student of an Academic Master’s Degree in Health Management and IT at Federal University of Health Sciences of Porto Alegre (UFCSPA). She is also a member of the Planetary Health Ambassadors of the Planetary Health Studies Group at the University of São Paulo (USP). Professionally, Vanessa is director and partner at Bluma Hub, a company that operates in the digital marketing area in Brazil. […]
- [Meet Thales](https://girawa.org/thales/): Thales C. C. A. Bandeira Meet Thales Thales is a resident in Neurology from University of Heidelberg. He was a Representative of Brazil at the BRICS international medical congress ’’Global fight against hypertension’’ in 2015. He graduated from the State Medical University of Saint Petersburg I.I.Pavlov in 2016, Russia. He spent four years researching in the area of pathoneurophysiology on accessing short and long-term memory from 2013-2016, and did three years of research in the field of morphology by the Federal University of Sao Paulo in conjunction with the State Medical University of Saint Petersburg I.I.Pavlov in 2015. He has […]
- [Meet Léna](https://girawa.org/lena/): Léna Mende Meet Léna Léna is a Master’s student in Global Health at the Faculty of Health and Life Sciences of Maastricht University in the Netherlands. She is also a European Public Health professional and received her BSc degree in which she focused on risks of arboviral disease spread in light in Europe of the changing climate. Her line of research is in Planetary Health in an urban context, in which she explores the environmental damage and risk to human health and, in her master’s project, she is researching the inclusion and implementation of nature-based solutions as social projects addressing […]
- [Meet Heshawa](https://girawa.org/heshawa/): Heshawa Abayatilaka Meet Heshawa Heshawa is a Geo-environmental Consultant working within the geosciences division at RSK Group. He graduated University College London with an MSc in Geology and continues his development to become a Chartered Geologist. Heshawa has been involved in numerous development projects, finding and implementing solutions for various contamination issues throughout the UK. Having an affinity for the natural world since he was young, he joined Girawa to play his part in the future of both the minds of the next generation and the planet he will leave behind. Back
- [Meet Mikhail](https://girawa.org/mikhail/): Mikhail Caga-Anan Meet Mikhail Mikhail is a research technician in the Cardiovascular Sciences department of the National Heart & Lung Institute (NHLI)-Imperial College London, obtaining his BSc in Biomedical Sciences from Kingston University London.   He is currently active in the research of atherosclerosis, where the group focuses on the role of antibodies in the progression or protection in this devastating condition, with the aim of utilising these antibodies as potential future biomarkers, imaging agents for detection and therapeutic drugs for plaque/lesion treatment.He has contributed to the publication of several papers in scientific journals.   Mikhail’s passion has long been […]
- [Meet Manuella](https://girawa.org/manuella/): Manuella Fantauzzi Franco Meet Manuella Manuella is a Master’s student in Public Health at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of São Paulo (USP), Brazil. She is also a Physical Therapist and received her BSc degree from the Federal University of Minas Gerais.   Her line of research is in Environmental Epidemiology in which she verifies the environmental damage to human health and, in her master’s project, she is carrying out a study to observe the spatial distribution of osteoporosis in Brazil and the possible association of air pollution with bone quality of population groups.   She is also […]
- [Meet Vanessa Goes](https://girawa.org/vanessa-g/): Vanessa Goes Meet Vanessa Vanessa is an Integrative health professional and artist with a multidisciplinary approach. Dancer, Registered dietitian and Wellness mentor, she likes to motivate people for change.   Member of the Brazilian College of Lifestyle Medicine, she’s a PhD student in Food Science at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro and professor of Nutrition Science at the post-graduation course in preventive and Lifestyle medicine.   Passionate about nature and life, she’s a Planetary Health Campus ambassador at PHA- Harvard and mentor Jr at the Brazilian program coordinated by the Planetary Health Study Group at IEA-USP. She’s member […]
- [Meet Collins](https://girawa.org/collins/): Collins Kipkemoi Meet Collins Collins is currently pursuing a Master of Science Degree in Environmental & Biosystems Engineering at the University of Nairobi, Kenya after graduating from the same institution with a BSc degree.   For his MSc Research Project, Collins is working on Evaporative Cooling Systems to in a bid to help address the issue of Post-Harvest Food Losses especially of vegetables & fruits and milk, which has been listed by the United Nations and other organizations as among the major contributors to Climate Change.   Collins is a member of the Institution of Engineers of Kenya (IEK) and […]
- [Meet Hugh](https://girawa.org/hugh/): Hugh Shirley Meet Hugh Hugh is a medical student at Harvard Medical School in Boston, Massachusetts. He received a BS in Biochemistry from Northeastern University, where he led RAISE, a student research group dedicates to using chemistry and engineering to tackle planetary health issues, and was a founding member of NUGHI, a group that organizes global health conferences to create opportunities for collaboration and learning between students and global health experts from around the world.   He is a Research Associate at the African Center for Community Engagement in Health (ACCIH) and is on the advisory board for the NEU […]
- [Meet Joelita](https://girawa.org/joelita/): Joelita Rocha Operations Lead – Brazil Meet Joelita Joelita is a specialist in Assistance Policy Management at the University Center of Lins (UNILINS); She is an Educommunicator and coordinates the Núcleo Regional Lins (ABPEducom) – Brazilian Association of Researchers and Professionals in Educommunication, a veteran student of Educom.Saúde.SP Project of the Health Department of the State of São Paulo, a member of Brazilian Planetary Health Club, a 2023 Planetary Health Campus Ambassador (PHCAs) of the Planetary Health Alliance (PHA) based at the Harvard T.H.   She is also a member of the coordinators group of Planetary Health Youths Ambassador (Program […]
- [Meet David](https://girawa.org/david/): Dr. David Channon​ Co-Lead Investigator Meet David David is a curriculum and education specialist with extensive international experience in teaching, training, and academic development. He holds an EdD from the University of London, where his research focused on curriculum change in Myanmar. David has served as a Teaching Fellow and Lecturer at Royal Holloway, University of London, designing innovative modules in global and planetary health.   He has worked with the British Council in Myanmar on national education projects and continues to consult globally on inclusive curriculum design, including for Girawa’s planetary health initiatives. His academic background spans psychology, citizenship […]
- [Anusha's Profile page](https://girawa.org/anusha/): Dr. Anusha Seneviratne Founder and Co-Lead Investigator Meet Anusha Anusha is a Lecturer in Human and Environmental Health Studies at Royal Holloway University of London. She holds a BSc and MRes in Biomedical Sciences, and a PhD in Vascular Immunology from Imperial College London, where she researched atherosclerotic vascular disease, and published several peer-reviewed papers in world-leading cardiovascular journals. Her current research interests focus on how environmental factors such as pollution, infectious disease and medicinal plants affect atherosclerosis and inflammation in the human body. See her academic profile for more detail. She contributed to a report on Non-Communicable Diseases for […]
- [Our Team](https://girawa.org/our-team/): Our Team Girawa Leadership Dr. Anusha Seneviratne Founder Dr. David Channon Co-Lead Investigator Joelita Rocha Operations Lead – Brazil A. Pol Girawa Ph.D. Head of Inspiration – Sri Lanka Our People Collins Kipkemoi Vanessa Goes Mikhail Caga-Anan Manuella Fantauzzi Franco Hugh Shirley Heshawa Abayatilaka Vanessa Siviero Thales C. C. A. Bandeira Léna Mende Donovan Humphrey Franco Collins Kipkemoi Vanessa Goes Mikhail Caga-Anan Manuella Fantauzzi Franco Hugh Shirley Heshawa Abayatilaka Vanessa Siviero Thales C. C. A. Bandeira Léna Mende Donovan Humphrey Franco Join our Newsletter Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.Full Name *Email Address * Send Message […]
- [Get Involved](https://girawa.org/get-involved/): Get Involved Stay in the Loop Do you share our passion to transform education to encompass on nature and planetary health? Are you an expert in a relevant field and would like to share your knowledge and experience? Or are you an organisation that would like to collaborate with us? Then we would love to hear from you! Please complete the contact form below with details on your academic or organisation’s background and your interests in relation to planetary health, or get in touch with us via social media. If you have any queries, we’ll be happy to answer them. […]
- [News and Blog](https://girawa.org/news-and-blog/)
- [News](https://girawa.org/news/): The latest news:   This page is currently under construction.   Check back soon!
- [Our Partners](https://girawa.org/our-partners/): Our Partners Girawa partners with like-minded organizations around the world to support nature-first education. We are proud members of regional and global networks advancing environmental learning and action. These partnerships help us grow stronger across Asia, Africa, Europe and South America, while staying grounded in the communities we serve. The Foundation of Goodness The Foundation of Goodness was established in 1999 and has worked extensively following the 2004 tsunami, that devastated the lives of thousands of Sri Lankans, to develop a one of a kind holistic rural community development model.    Today the Foundation of Goodness delivers a wide range […]
- [Who We Are](https://girawa.org/who-we-are/): Our Mission With the climate and ecological crisis deepening due to insufficient action over the last few decades, Girawa was founded to foster understanding that the survival of humanity is directly dependent on nature. We take inspiration from the symbiotic relationships that exist in nature, and indigenous ways of life that traditionally practice respect for nature.   Girawa is a volunteer-led project building an open-access educational resource that puts nature at the heart of STEM education. With a focus on planetary health, we cover topics such as nutrition, infectious diseases, ecology and engineering.   Our mission is to fill the […]
- [Home](https://girawa.org/): Transforming education with Nature and Planetary Health at its core Be a part of Girawa Girawa is proud to be an organizational member of the Planetary Health Alliance (PHA) – a consortium of over 500 organizations from around the world committed to understanding and addressing global environmental change and its health impacts. About the PHA Our Partners Girawa’s partners help us make environmental education practical, local, and inclusive. With the Planetary Health Alliance and grassroots organizations like the Foundation of Goodness, we support youth-led action, teacher training, and nature-based learning in Sri Lanka, Brazil, and Kenya. Together, we build skills, […]
- [Privacy Policy](https://girawa.org/privacy-policy/): Who we are Suggested text: Our website address is: https://girawa.org. Comments Suggested text: When visitors leave comments on the site we collect the data shown in the comments form, and also the visitor’s IP address and browser user agent string to help spam detection. An anonymized string created from your email address (also called a hash) may be provided to the Gravatar service to see if you are using it. The Gravatar service privacy policy is available here: https://automattic.com/privacy/. After approval of your comment, your profile picture is visible to the public in the context of your comment. Media Suggested […]


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