The talented and ambitious from every corner of the globe were recently in Bonn, Germany, for the annual UN SDG Action Awards. The awards are a celebration of the campaigners who have been taking real action to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The UN SDG Action Awards recognises individuals, civil society organisations, subnational governments, foundations, networks, and private sector leaders from across the globe with the most innovative, impactful and transformative initiatives that are building a global movement of...
Culture
The Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation have announced their shortlist, and we’re paying close attention to five of the impressive nominees! Talented, ambitious and committed to technological excellence, we’re sure they’ll be making waves over the next year and beyond.
Here’s a look at some of the stand-out individuals and inventions that made the shortlist:
Muzalema Mwanza, Zambia
Muzalema Mwanza’s creation of a Baby Delivery Kit is making waves. The kit includes the tools that expectant mothers in Zambia are often asked...
Millions of women around the world experience violence simply because of their gender. In Namibia, Southern Africa, one in three women in long-term relationships report physical or sexual violence at some point in their lives, at the hands of their partner. News reporting plays a big role in either fuelling or helping to prevent violence against women. So, ONE has joined forces with Namibia’s First Lady, Monica Geingos, to make the media part of the solution.
Beyond belief
Women and girls...
On International Women’s Day, we released our fifth annual letter to world leaders. This year, over 40 activists from across the African continent contributed to the letter, urging world leaders to make genuine progress in the fight for gender equality.
Their bold statement to world leaders has gained global support since its launch! Over 100 influential figures signed the open letter and are taking a stand for women everywhere.
Thank you to everyone who is using their platform to stand up...
This IWD, we’re passing the mic to African activists who are doing incredible work for gender equality. Together, they’re standing by a bold demand to world leaders, urging them to make real progress. Get to know more about the fantastic co-signers backing this demand, including our spokeswomen!
Spokeswomen:
Melene Rossouw
Melene became an Attorney in the High Court of South Africa in 2009. In 2017, she founded the Women Lead Movement to educate, empower, and inspire women. They lead social change in...
Why do certain books make it to our desks, libraries and book shops over others? On International Book Day, we take a look at the progress made by African publishers.
More and more African authors are being praised and winning awards around the world, taking indigenous knowledge and original African thinking beyond the continent. So, why is African book publishing still underdeveloped?
Unique challenges
Publishing got off to a slow start. Colonial rulers passed laws to make sure they owned the rights...
Discrimination against sexual minorities in Kenya is costing the country up to US$1.3 billion annually, a report by a coalition of global businesses said, attributing the losses to missed tourism earnings, poor health and less employment of LGBT+ people.
The report by Open For Business – an alliance of big companies including tech companies Google and Microsoft and Deutsche Bank – estimated anti-gay attitudes were shaving off up to 1.7% of Kenya’s annual gross domestic product (GDP).
“A lot of the...
In Part 1 of a two-part report on the informal banks that help women secure financial stability, Women’s Advancement Deeply looks at a savings group in Kenya that grants independence to the women who join it.
Orge Konchora always wanted her children to go to school, but her husband could not raise all the fees from his small salary as a driver, and she knew she had to help out. Although the family also had some livestock, the animals were owned...
It starts off small. Often, you don’t even notice what’s happening. But before long, it grows, spreading through the population like wildfire. Before you know it, it’s everywhere, and it’s your job to defend yourself against it!
If you’re a fan of zombie stories, this scenario probably sounds familiar to you. But it doesn’t just apply to the undead in TV and movies—it also applies to zombie stats!
Zombie stats are false or misleading, yet widely thought to be true. Often,...
In this series, we’re introducing you to strong and savvy female entrepreneurs from Ethiopia who have partnered with social enterprise and lifestyle brand ABLE.
Semhal Guesh grew up in Ethiopia hearing a phrase many young girls her age did not: “You can do whatever you want.”
Now 27 years old, it’s no coincidence that Semhal has become a designer, architect, and entrepreneur. She now runs Kabana, a leather production company in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia’s capital and largest city, and through her...