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A Plague of Ravenous Locusts Descends on East Africa, Jeopardizes Food Security
›May 18, 2020 // By Wania YadWeeks before most of the world began to take the spread of COVID-19 seriously, Africa was already threatened by another plague, the biggest locust outbreak in the last 70 years. Locusts swarmed into Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Uganda, and South Sudan in January and February this year. Those hordes of voracious locusts laid eggs, and now the second wave, 20 times the size of the first group, is arriving. According to Locust Watch, “The current situation in East Africa remains extremely alarming as more swarms form and mature in northern and central Kenya, southern Ethiopia, and probably in Somalia.”
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Investing in Girls and Women Could Set Stage for Peace, Development in Sahel
›The coronavirus pandemic has people throughout the world pondering how humankind should respond to a public health crisis. While individual countries are managing the crisis with varying degrees of success, we can all agree that the Covid-19 pandemic is commanding the international community’s attention. By contrast, it is much harder to get the world to care about the long-term public health crisis unfolding in the West African Sahel.
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The Covid-19 Crisis in Africa
›“African countries are facing a severe health crisis. As of this morning, there are 14,573 confirmed cases of Covid-19 and 790 deaths in 52 out of 54 countries,” said Judd Devermont, director the Center for Strategic and International Studies’ Africa Program, at an April 13th event on the impacts of Covid-19 in Africa. The World Health Organization has estimated a 5 percent drop in Africa’s GDP and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) believes that as many as 20 million jobs will be lost. There is also a political dimension to this crisis, as governments struggle to deliver services, provide safety and security, and allow people to continue livelihoods, said Judd.
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Toward a New Regional Approach to Water Security and Governance in the Horn of Africa
›Guest Contributor // April 7, 2020 // By Anniek Barnhoorn, Florian Krampe, Luc van de Goor, Elizabeth Smith & Dan SmithAs the global climate changes, climate-related security risks are making the existing political, social, and economic challenges even more complicated. The 230 million people who live in the Horn of Africa are highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change such as droughts and floods. Political fragility and transnational complexities make water governance a matter of regional high-level politics as well as geopolitical tensions. In short, sustainable water governance is critical for achieving resilient peace.
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Covid-19 and Conflict Zones: Prepare Now or Face Catastrophe
›As we have seen over recent weeks, the impact of Covid-19 has caused unprecedented disruption, deaths, and confusion in developed countries. The public health capacity of countries such as the United States and UK has been overwhelmed.
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Sexuality Education Begins to Take Root in Africa
›In Kenya, primary and secondary school students take courses called Life Skills Education. So do students in Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, and Swaziland. South Sudan adds “peace-building” to the subject title. Lesotho, Madagascar, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia are more direct. These countries add the word “sexuality” to the course name.
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Multiple Stressors Shape Mothers’ Mental Health in Nairobi, Kenya
›The mental health of mothers cannot be studied in isolation, as just a psychological snapshot in time. Their complex lives both past and present must be taken into consideration. When I was researching marriage, motherhood, and social support in Korogocho, an informal settlement in Nairobi, stories I heard underscored how a range of life experiences conspire to affect a woman’s mental health. I heard life histories like this:
When Ann was 17, she met Fredrick, got pregnant and moved in with him when she was 18. Two years later, Fredrick got arrested and was gone for two years. When he came back, she got pregnant with child No. 2 within a month but then left the relationship seven months later because of ongoing conflict. When she was about 23 with a 2-month-old and 5-year-old, Frederick shot her. Two months later, he himself was killed. Four months later, she met the man who would become her second husband. After living together for three years, he took her back to his home to meet his family. She then had her third baby.
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To End Fistula by 2030, First Strengthen the Healthcare Workforce
›When childbirth takes place without skilled birth attendants or adequate emergency obstetric care, a woman may suffer from obstetric fistula. Women with fistula live with uncontrollable urinary and/or fecal incontinence, because a hole has formed between the birth canal and bladder or rectum. They have usually survived prolonged/obstructed labor, often lost their child to stillbirth, and frequently face severe social isolation and stigma. There are also now more and more women suffering from iatrogenic fistula caused by injuries during pelvic surgery, especially obstetric or gynecological surgery. Between 1 million and 2 million women currently need fistula repair, with thousands of new cases each year. However, most fistulas can be treated, enabling women to resume healthy, productive lives in their communities. Recognizing this, the United Nations has issued a call to end fistula by 2030.
Showing posts from category Africa.