““We believe in a world where everyone can breathe air that is free from toxic pollution, regardless of where they live, their economic status or their ethnic background.””
Rosamund, Ella’s mum
Ella Roberta Adoo Kissi Debrah was born happy and healthy. By the age of seven she had been diagnosed with asthma. At the age of nine she had suffered a fatal asthma attack. It took her mother years of campaigning for the role of air pollution to be recognised: Ella is the first person in the world to have air pollution listed as a cause of death on her death certificate.
HOW CAN YOU HELP?The latest news and announcements from the Foundation. Find out how we’ve pushed air pollution up the news agenda, and discover our new campaigns. From grassroots activism to government-level campaigning.
On 9th October 2024, Rosamund was a guest speaker at The Grantham Centre Annual Symposium, Sheffield University.
On 8th September 2024 over 200 people attended a memorial service to celebrate the life of Ella Roberta.
On 7th September 2024, to mark the UN’s International Clean Air Day, Ride for Their Lives travelled to Lewisham to raise awareness about the need to clean up the air we breathe.
Team GB’s Olympic Triathlon Champion Alex Yee, supported health professionals and the Ella Roberta Foundation today to mark the UN’s International Clean Air Day, 7th September 2024.
On 16th July 2024, Rosamund delivered a talk to Clean Air South delegates at the University of Southampton’s (UoS) Future Towns Innovation Hub.
On 17th May 2024 Rosamund was the keynote speaker at the Association of Respiratory Nurses (ARNS) Annual Conference in Brighton.
On 19th March, Rosamund was a guest speaker at the 2024 Wired Health Festival in London.
On 5th March 2024, Rosamund and Ella’s siblings attend Holbeach primary school for the launch of Ella’s Reading Corner.
Please sign our petition
Rosamund Adoo-Kissi-Debrah received the most votes from the public in the Brockley Max "Black Icons" competition.
Ask your MP to support and vote in favor of the clean air (Human Right) bill (Ella’s Law).
Green party peer Jenny Jones is pushing a new clean air law after it won first place in the House of Lords ballot for private members’ bills. Ella’s Law is what people are calling the Clean Air (Human Rights) Bill, introduced to Parliament by Baroness Jenny Jones in May 2022, named after Ella Adoo Kissi Debrah, the first person in England to have air pollution named as a cause of death by a coroner.
Rosamund Adoo Kissi Debrah, has criticised the Government’s low ambition in air quality target setting; “These unambitious targets, that do not need to be reached for another 18 years, condemn another generation of children to breathe dirty air,” she said. "I am responding to this public consultation in my personal capacity as a mother of three children, one of whom tragically had her life cut short because of air pollution".
The Foundation has collaborated with two artists to highlight the link between air pollution and human health, as part of We Are Lewisham. The exhibition of paintings by Sarah Stirk and Gina Allen is open for two weeks this summer, as part of the Mayor's London Borough of Culture 2022 and will also host a day of children's talks.
In December 2020, London, in what is believed to be a global first, Deputy Coroner Phillip Barlow ruled that Ella Adoo Kissi Debrah died as a direct result of air pollution. Several months later, the Coroner issued a Prevention of Future Deaths PFD report which expressed his concern about the lack of legally binding air quality targets, lack of public information and appropriate doctor training.
In October 2021, Rosamund led a delegation of mothers at COP26, to deliver a letter to Alok Sharma, the President of COP. The letter was addressed to Heads of State and delegates of the climate event, and was signed by nearly 500 groups from 44 countries. It was one of the biggest mobilisations of parents on any issue ever.
To celebrate International Women's Day, the Foundation convened a webinar, bringing together some of the top names in air pollution campaigning; Dr Maria Neira, World Health Organisation; Baroness Jenny Jones, a Green Party peer, Bhavrine Khandari, co-founder of Warrior Moms, a collection of mothers from all over India fighting air pollution.
We have commissioned artist, Hannah Stewart to produce a full-height statue of Ella in bronze that will still be situated in the flower garden enclosure in Mountsfield Park, Lewisham
The tragedy of air pollution — and an urgent demand for clean air. Rosamund shares her heartbreaking story, and how breathing clean air is every child’s human right.
This meeting of health professionals, convened by the Mayor of London, focused on the Coroner’s report from Ella’s death. Professor Chris Whitty said “air pollution is everybody’s problem” but it can be solved.
It is one year since Coroner Philip Barlow published the Prevention of Future Deaths Report following the landmark ruling that air pollution contributed to 9 year-old Ella Adoo-Kissi-Debrah's death from severe asthma.
At a case management hearing today, the High Court will consider the civil claim arising from the illness and tragic death of 9-year-old Ella Adoo-Kissi-Debrah in 2013.
Interview with Rosamund on Newsnight on eve of Judicial Review of ULEZ.
Rosamund appeared on BBC World Service alongside Bhavreen Kandhari to discuss Air Pollution, her own personal story and what needs to be done to tackle this. It's available on BBC Sounds to listen again.
Rosamund Adoo-Kissi-Debrah has been honoured with the annual European Lung Foundation (ELF) Award for her outstanding work campaigning for everyone’s fundamental right to breathe clean air.