Our Moon

Cathy awarded $5000 in research funds

There’s a saying that a journey of 1000 miles begins with a single step, and although mine started years ago, it only feels like it’s beginning now — probably because it’s taken a new direction.

Duke University is one of the best universities in the world, with a diverse student body, distinguished professors, and immense resources. I’m surrounded by brilliant students, all multi-talented and unique — and I’m one of them. Sometimes, I find it hard to believe I’m here.

This always reminds me that I’m here for a reason: I have the opportunity to contribute to my community, make more connections, excel in my education, and make new friends and family amongst my peers and professors.

So far, my experience at Duke has been exposing, adventurous, and full of surprises. I’ve met new people and encountered new cultures, seeing the world through a different lens and space. At first, everything was so overwhelming, but after some time, I adapted and got curious, which gave way to a lot of opportunities. If I hadn’t passed through Our Moon before coming to the United States, I wouldn’t have the skills, knowledge, and discipline to thrive in a foreign country. Our Moon also helped me find the Mufalos, my host family, who’ve helped me a lot. They regularly check up on me to see if there’s anything I need, and advise me on issues with my academics — they’re like my family away from home.

“Duke University is one of the best universities in the world, with a diverse student body, distinguished professors, and immense resources. I’m surrounded by brilliant students, all multi-talented and unique — and I’m one of them.”

While I was certain I wanted to be an environmental science major, I’ve taken full advantage of the liberal arts curriculum at Duke, exploring social sciences, humanities, natural sciences, literature, and the arts. While on these courses, I encountered two professors whose work sparked my interest, and eventually got the opportunity to work alongside them as a research assistant in Environmental Justice and the Global Politics of Climate Change.

Before starting, I was a pro-minded environmentalist. I only cared about the impact that human activities have on the environment and disregarded the fact that those activities are also among the factors that contribute to human survival. Now I understand that as much as there is a need to conserve the environment and reduce greenhouse gases, there is also a need to continue developing and growing economically, as this is also survival in many ways. For this reason, I want to understand how we can reach a balance between the two subjects, and to do so, I plan to double major in both economics and environmental science and policy.

My work with my professors unlocked even more opportunities, as I was awarded the Kenan Institute Summer Fellows Award of $5000 to do a research project of my choice. I saw this as my chance to make an impact back home, so chose to research an area close to where I grew up — Lusaka’s largest landfill, the Chunga Dumpsite.

Here, half of Lusaka’s waste is dumped and incinerated, causing different types of pollution in the surrounding residences, notably toxic fumes. In my first semester, I learned how Environmental Justice mapping tools show a strong correlation between heavily air polluted areas and the prevalence of asthmatic patients in those areas. Growing up near Chunga dumpsite, I was asthmatic the whole time I was there. As Zambia doesn’t have the tools to map this correlation, I plan to research the relationship between asthma cases and air pollution in Chunga and its surrounding areas, and analyse the results in terms of environmental justice and public health.

My first year at Duke has been amazing, and I’m excited to get stuck in on this amazing project back home. I’m also happy that I’ll have time to spend with my family and friends, and cannot wait to go back and visit Our Moon, the place of opportunities, memories, and amazing people.

To help us support more bright young Zambians like Cathy please click here.