It's been 27 years since my last conversation with my mother. Like many girls born in rural Uganda in the late 1950s, she did not finish school before she was married off. She often told me, "I never got my degree but one day, my little man, you will." She instilled in me the value …
Not many years ago, global health advocates bemoaned the fact that it took decades for life-saving vaccines to become widely accessible in poorer countries. This resulted in the unnecessary deaths of millions of children every year. Today, however, childhood vaccines are available nearly everywhere. This was thanks to global partnerships between governments, industry and philanthropists. Unfortunately, …
Mother of three Achok Deng woke up suddenly around midnight to rapid gunfire around the Tompin area of Juba, South Sudan’s ramshackle capital. This was Friday the 8th of July; her husband, a soldier with the presidential guard, had left for duty the preceding evening. She was confused as to what was happening, what to …
When athletes lined up for the 800m women’s final in Rio last week they weren’t exactly starting from a level playing field – on that we can all agree. But who was it who enjoyed the “unfair advantage” that the eventual winner Caster Semenya has been accused of holding? Various competitors and commentators have declared that the …
YAMOUSSOUKRO – The billions of dollars in aid delivered to Africa annually may do the continent much good, but it cannot deliver a solution to poverty. Only creating more high-quality jobs can do that. The question is how. Africa boasts a large and creative labor pool, buttressed by a youth population that is expected to double, to over …