Sixty-three years ago today—March 21, 1960—police opened fire on a peaceful demonstration in the Black township of Sharpeville, South Africa, killing 69 people. The massacre marks the most lethal day of police violence in South Africa, and is a dark reminder of the intertwined legacy of colonization and racism that continues to plague our global …
This International Women’s Day, we recognize the work that our Fellows do on a daily basis to make this world most just and equitable for everyone. Whether it is advocating for widow’s rights in Kenya, uplifting female entrepreneurs in West Africa, speaking truth to power at the United Nations, fighting FGM practices in India, or …
Download our Free Ebook: Decolonising Development in South Asia is a compendium of essays by five South Asian fellows of the Aspen Institute’s New Voices Fellowship. Each essay addresses the significance of the de-colonial discourse in the Asian context, focusing on a particular topic, like health, gender, and peace. The compendium applies a practitioner’s lens to …
By Bill Gates — Damaris grew up in Birongo, Kenya, a rural village in the country’s western highlands. She showed remarkable talent in math and science from an early age, but she experienced discrimination at school and in her community because of her gender. Even some extended family members couldn’t understand why the family would …
By David Vasquez — The murmur of waves mingled with the teenagers’ laughter as they set their pails down in the white coral sands of Diani Beach. Kevin Lunzalu was satisfied with the contents of each brightly colored bucket—plastic bottles and debris, which unfortunately adorn this coastal area. Diani Beach is one of Kenya’s most …