Both disability and gender have historically been factors in stigma and prejudice. In the MENA region, women with disabilities remain particularly marginalised. Poverty, healthcare bias, and cultural attitudes often mean that women with disabilities face more hurdles in getting their voices heard. Access to education and the formal workforce is also less prioritised for women…
Kenanao and Keikantse Phele are two sisters that are celebrating diverse storytellers in Africa through their non-profit organisation: Gaborone Book Festival Trust (GBF). Join us as we learn how they are transforming the minds of readers and future writers. — Last year the Covid-19 pandemic introduced a bigger scale of virtual events. In-person events…
On Friday, September 9th, 2022, a 38-year-old Nigerian was reportedly arrested for sexually abusing his 14-year-old niece who was under his custody. This is similar to the experience of 1 in 5 girls and 1 in 13 boys who have been sexually exploited or abused before reaching the age of 18 globally according to UNICEF…
Earlier this year, 35-year-old Nnenaya Onu was reported to have lost her life to men alleged to be her cousins who beat her up, strip her naked, dismembered and burnt her alive in her father’s compound. Her only crime was demanding a share of her late father’s properties. News of her death which occurred on…
Earlier in January, Zainab Adams was shortlisted alongside 23 other female journalism students to attend a workshop on digital rights and gender-based violence reporting organised by a Non-Profit Organisation, Education as Vaccine (EVA) in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital. She didn’t know that the knowledge she would gain during the workshop will one day come in handy…
Tanzania’s Parliament Speaker Dr Tulia Ackson has proposed the adoption of 21 years as the minimum age for a girl to get married in the country. “I think that 18 years is still unfit for a child to get married since she is still young to handle marriage duties at such an age. They should…
Leokadia Komba is a 33-year-old woman, who has three children struggling to return to her marriage after being chased by her spouse due to water shortage. “Every year women suffer due to shortage of water resulting from climatic change since wells dry up,” she said. “Climate change denied women rights in the village and caused…
Earlier this year, Bassant Khaled’s death made headlines across Egypt and even internationally. Pieces of her story were widely shared across social media before the whole picture came to light. A young man had blackmailed her with faked photos of her after she rejected his advances. She died by suicide not long after, and left…
In May 2020, a 39-year-old Nigerian woman reportedly died of complications after giving birth inside a church located in Lagos State, Nigeria. This is only one out of several cases of maternal deaths in Nigeria resulting from complications during childbirth which could have been avoided if professional healthcare providers were readily available. According to a…
Gulnar Esmat remembers when the symptoms started. One after the other like dominoes. Nothing felt right. Doctors said it was anxiety, but she was never an anxious person. They claimed the insomnia was just another symptom, but she was always a fast sleeper. Some even concluded it was a nervous breakdown. The medications helped, but…
Rejoice Amuntenya and Mehafo Amunyela are two students who have started the first ever Namibian magazine for young adults: Afterbreak Magazine. AWiM speaks to both of them to hear how it all began and what they hope to achieve for youths in Namibia. — Magazines and newspapers are the most notable traditional forms of media….
As journalists, we must hold power to account, and share stories that matter to those within society. We interview, write and publish people’s stories for a living. But sometimes that isn’t enough when we are required to do more to make a real difference. — In July, we hosted a Twitter conversation on Reporting violence…
