It has been a long time coming, but when the World Health Organization (WHO) officially declares Africa polio-free, our challenges may only be beginning. We need to sustain the momentum to ensure that the virus is not only eradicated from every continent but that it stays that way forever. This milestone declaration, which most experts expect in …
We have made huge progress in the fight against HIV/Aids in the last few decades, but there are still significant challenges. Communities most affected by the virus – sex workers, transgender people, men who have sex with men (MSM), and gay men – still face stigma and discrimination. Global infection rates have not fallen as much for these …
Around the globe, 2016 has been a dusty year. Just this month, massive dust storms enveloped Guazhou County in China, engulfing five-story buildings. Dust storms in Kuwait suspended oil exports, while another storm engulfed the Texas Panhandle. In January, red clouds of dust swept across Free State, South Africa, while scientists warned that the erosion of nutrient-rich …
For a decade now, Yemen has held the last position in the Gender Gap Index. This index shows that Yemen has the widest gap in gender equality among other countries across the continent. This poor performance is reflected in our high rates of maternal mortality and lack of educational opportunities for women, but this underdevelopment has been exacerbated by a …
Sunday, April 17, 2016, saw the Queer Confessions, Questions and Crushes — a group of activists at Rhodes University in Grahamstown, South Africa — making public the names of 11 male students who were alleged to have committed rapes against fellow students on campus. The list, published on the group's Facebook page, quickly went viral …