Megan Gieske is a storyteller and photographer based in Cape Town, South Africa. Two young men in Langa are taking a stand against gender-based violence by mentoring and educating young boys. “We need to educate men about gender-based violence and gender equality, so women and young girls can be free,” explain the two co-founders of #LangaforMen, Siyabonga Khusela and Luyolo Lengisi. Siyabonga and Luyolo are young, just 21 and 22. They started #LangaforMen in response to the violence against women they witnessed as...
It has been more than three months since Isaac Mutua, a Kenyan working in Durban, South Africa, sent money home to his family back in Kenya. Mutua, a renowned chef, lost his job after his employer closed down the restaurant where he worked following the COVID-19 lockdown measures in South Africa starting on 24 March. Since 2015, Mutua has been sending $300 monthly to Nduta, his wife based in Kitengela, outside of Nairobi. His remittances have been their sole source...
The COVID-19 pandemic is threatening to undo years of progress on global education. Since the pandemic started, school closures have affected up to 91% of enrolled learners, or 1.6 billion children. Here is a look at how countries’ policies on school closures evolved over the past six months. COVID-19 quickly transformed from a localized epidemic to a global pandemic with far-reaching consequences across sectors 6 months ago, when COVID-19 was still just a localized epidemic, only two countries had restrictions on...
Celestina Obiekea is a ONE Champion alumni and consultant with the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control. Celestina Obiekea has seen first hand the impacts of COVID-19, working as the laboratory network advisor at the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control. She wants all Nigerians to know the pandemic is real: “While a lot of people will likely get infected and recover without even so much as a headache, there’s no magic wand to tell who will survive and who will not, and at...
Philanthropist Strive Masiyiwa is a special envoy for the African Union. We interviewed him as as part of our #PassTheMic series. Here’s some of what he had to say in the interview. From Africa’s perspective, we have to tackle the problem both globally and continentally. Africa is 54 sovereign countries, so its leaders have formed an executive committee that meets every two weeks to review how the continent and the countries within it are tackling the problem. We’ve also got to realise...
As ONE global activist from Africa and Europe, our commitment to global action is real. We are Senegalese, Gambian, Tunisian, French, and in Africa and in Europe. We have seen youth show their bravery and undertake many actions in solidarity during this pandemic. Our conversations about the management of this multifactorial crisis have highlighted the increase in solidarity within our local communities. This has inspired us to write to a diverse and changing youth. The mobilisation of young people in...
Eseosa Iyagbaye, a ONE Champion in Nigeria, has a message for young people on why they need to get involved in activism. Many people may believe that we are all propelled towards contributing to societal change or that we all have social causes we are passionate about. But it is not that simple. Although it may seem like a thing common, not everyone is currently moved towards pursuing a socially oriented cause, nor does everyone possess an area of passion. Some...
The COVID-19 pandemic has affected the entire globe and continues to alter life as we know it. But as COVID-19 cases soar in Europe, the United States, Brazil, and India, confirmed COVID-19 cases in Africa remain comparatively low. With a population of 1.2 billion and weak health infrastructure, experts feared that COVID-19 would severely impact the entire continent of Africa. Speculation is growing that Africa’s youth bulge and warmer climate could help spare most African countries from the worst...
Google the words “African Union” and you will find two out of the four top questions are “What is the purpose of the African Union?” and “Why was the African Union formed?” The answers? The African Union (AU) was formed for times like these – a global moment that requires global collaboration. The AU was formed to increase cooperation and integration of African states to drive Africa’s growth and economic development. With a crisis of a century such as the...
The ONE Campaign and 10 major African artists have come together to release a music track calling for the world to join in solidarity to fight COVID-19. In partnership with the Nelson Mandela Foundation and MTV Base, “Stand Together” is a solidarity anthem featuring some of Africa’s biggest music stars: 2Baba, Ahmed Soultan, Ben Pol, Teni, Yemi Alade, Amanda Black, Stanley Enow, Gigi La Mayne, Prodigio and Betty G. The song has been produced by Nigerian producer Cobhams Asuquo and the...