Lusaka As the ravages of COVID-19 swept across the globe like wildfire, the killer virus did not only claim millions of human lives but also ended people’s jobs. Before the onset of the pandemic, 34-year-old Hamilambo Abriella had a well-paying job in the national park from which she fed her two children. But when the…
Cape Town Cape Town is one of the world’s most unique tourist attractions, filled with warm skies, sea breeze and sandy picnics and of course the Table Mountain. Only a few years ago, its blue economy was affected by the harsh realities of climate change, altering how South African women gain access to water. Women…
Addis Ababa Mebrat Bekele, 80, recounts with nostalgia how her former kebele (village), now an abandoned pile of stones and rubble, was neatly nestled between a small seasonal river and the lush, hilly grasslands. Mebrat has lived all her life in the Halega micro watershed in the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples’ (SNNP) region. She…
Harare The morning chill tore through *Marian’s thin clothes as she hurried along a well-trodden path leading to the water well nestled in the bushy area several kilometres from her house in Mabvuku high-density suburb of Harare, the capital city of Zimbabwe. As she walked (half running) Marian’s single thought was on getting to the water point before…
Johannesburg In the heart of Puledi, on one of the dusty streets of Thokoza, one of the townships in Gauteng, children play between unfenced Reconstruction and Development Programme (RDP) houses. Overheard, grey clouds threaten to break the heavy humidity that hangs over this community. An all-female-led agricultural project that farms vegetables and nursery products, produces…
Accra It is a holiday in Ghana and tourism enthusiasts are embarking on an excursion to one of Ghana’s rich forest heritages, Atewa Range Forest Reserve in the Eastern region. This is a forest that has been described as having great wealth because of its distinct features. It boasts significant diversity, with at least 1100…
Kampala Few experiences are as remarkable as nature and wildlife encounters. Sometimes, rapid water cascades down a mountain slope leaves you feeling refreshed. Other times, the sound of chimpanzee hoots and grunts leaves your heart racing. During the COVID-19 pandemic, many such experiences were rendered impossible. Because of stringent health and travel restrictions, many tourism…
Nairobi It’s a late Wednesday afternoon in January when we drive into Catherine Mbili’s home in Kathonzweni, some 23 kilometres from Makueni Town, in Eastern Kenya, and some two hours’ drive from the capital, Nairobi. Her farm, about five acres in total, is green and blooming, with a few mango trees teasing us to pick…
Bamenda Welcome to Cameroon, where people, and women, in particular, are working hard to turn any problem into an opportunity worth celebrating. In the city of Bamenda, you meet a young woman and her team tackling biodegradable waste profitably. Arnette Tewan, a young environmentalist, and 41 other women recycle waste to make better end products…
Kampala Evaline Sarah Okeng is a subsistence farmer. The 28-year-old is a resident of Awac village, Alal parish, Aloi sub-county in the Alebtong District. Mrs Okeng, who is born in Alebtong and married in Alebtong, knows only one source: the local way of generating the source of energy for cooking, which is using the three…
Kigali Large patches of green forest dot the Amayaga region, which is composed of four districts, including Kamonyi, Ruhango, Nyanza, and Gisagara in the southern parts of Rwanda. The region is covered by large patches of natural and planted forests rich in plants and home to a variety of animal and bird species. The region…
Lagos While the rest of the world was grappling with socio-economic losses, among others, occasioned by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Helen Jonah, a widow and mother of five, was concerned about the poor harvest in her farm located in the Agbetu area of Odeda Local Government Area in Ogun State, South-West Nigeria. With her…
