# Global Climate and Health Survey Extended as Frontline Workers Share Impact Stories

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The Geneva Learning Foundation has extended its Global Climate and Health Survey until March 11, 2025, giving health workers worldwide additional time to document how climate change affects community health.

"Climate change is doing more harm than good, and we need to develop adaptation strategies," said Kingsley, a community health worker from Ghana during a recent Reach Network update session. "In Ghana this year, 15 farmers who took loans for crop cultivation committed suicide because there was no rainfall, their crops could not yield, and they had no way to repay their loans."

## Survey aims to influence global health funding

Launched on January 15 in partnership with Grand Challenges Canada, the survey has already gathered 3,702 responses from health workers in over 100 countries. The initiative seeks to create evidence that global health funders and governments cannot ignore when making climate health funding decisions.

"When many health workers from our country fill out this survey, our experiences become proof that leaders cannot ignore," explained Reda Sadki, Executive Director of the Geneva Learning Foundation during the March 5 update meeting. "Funders and governments can then use this proof to bring support."

Nigeria currently leads with the highest response rate, followed by Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, Kenya, and Brazil. However, most countries still lack sufficient responses to achieve statistical significance, which the organizers estimate would require approximately 400 responses per country.

## Frontline workers document diverse health impacts

Health workers participating in the session described varied climate-related health challenges in their communities.

"In Nigeria we have three basic issues related to climate change," shared Umar Pella Abdulrahman, a public health specialist. "During hot season, the temperature is around 40 to 42 degrees centigrade, causing heat stroke especially among elderly people. During rainy season, we experience flood disasters associated with cholera and waterborne diseases. During dry season, we experience drought, which may translate to food scarcity and malnutrition."

Laura Omari, a public health officer from Kenya, highlighted additional concerns: "Climate change brings vector-borne diseases like malaria, food insecurity, malnutrition, and respiratory diseases. In Turkana, climate disasters have made drought something big, bringing waterborne diseases like cholera and typhoid."

## Challenges in survey dissemination

Participants noted several barriers to wider survey participation, including connectivity issues, data costs, and mistrust of government-led initiatives.

"Some people have joined in, others have not because of different constraints," explained Lillian Mutua, who heads the health promotion unit in Nairobi City County, Kenya. "First, connectivity issues. Second, they feel they need data bundles to connect to the network, which is a cost. Also, most feel like these surveys are being taken so people can get grants from donors, and there's currently a lot of mistrust from health workers toward the government."

The survey is part of the Teach to Reach initiative, with the current cohort of health leaders forming the Reach Network (Relate, Engage, Act, Connect, and Help). The initiative is supported by Grand Challenges Canada with funding from the global technology company Arm and the government of Canada.

Results from the survey will be published in an academic journal, with findings intended to guide innovation and funding for climate-related health challenges in the most affected communities.

Health workers interested in participating can access the survey through the Geneva Learning Foundation's social media channels or contact survey partners in their countries before the March 11 deadline.