Rosamund Kissi-Debrah

Kissi-Debrah's campaign for clean air followed the death of her 9 year old daughter, Ella Roberta, in 2013 who had experienced a series of severe asthma attacks over several years.[1] A 2014 inquest focused only on Ella's medical care, prompting Kissi-Debrah to campaign for air pollution to be included on her child's death certificate, after learning about its possible adverse effects on health.[2] Her campaign has led to a second inquest in 2020, where evidence about air pollution was considered,[3][4][5][6] with a ruling[7] in December 2020 that pollution from the South Circular Road, London was a contributing factor to Ella Roberta's death.

Kissi-Debrah also co-founded the Ella Roberta Family Foundation to promote her goals more widely to the public and officials.[8] This charity aims to improve the lives of children affected by asthma in South East London. It engages with politicians and policy makers as well as young people and communities to raise awareness of asthma, advocate for better medical treatment of asthma and also campaigns for clean air. Kissi-Debrah is the Executive Director.

She has worked with the Mayor of London on the Healthy London Partnership and has contributed to proposed expansion of the Ultra Low Emission Zone in London that aims to reduce air pollution from cars.[1] Low traffic neighbourhoods have been introduced in London, partly to reduce air pollution. Kissi-Debrah has been drawn into the conflict between the potential for social and environmental benefits but also for damage from the diverted traffic flows. She has advocated for balance in reducing traffic and improving air quality.[9] In a 2020 interview with the Guardian, she said: “For people who live in an LTN, yes, life is better, I don’t deny that, but their traffic is going somewhere. You cannot live in a neighbourhood where one part has an LTN and children are cycling and playing outside and the roads are safe, then pop along a couple of roads later and there’s gridlocked traffic. We cannot live in a society like that.”[10]

Kissi-Debrah has been a candidate in a UK parliament by-election[11] and planned to be a candidate in the 2020 London Assembly elections (postponed to 2021).[12]

She is a World Health Organisation advocate for health and air quality.[1]

Kissi-Debrah will be one of the judges in the BLAC Awards in 2020[13]

Kissi-Debrah lives on the South Circular Road in London.[5] She is a secondary school teacher in Lewisham.[11]

In November 2020 she was included in the BBC Radio 4 Woman's Hour Power list 2020.[1]