All Africa
In drought-stricken Somaliland, age-old challenges meet WhatsAppSix months ago, a handful of people in this self-declared republic had a novel idea: create a WhatsApp group to quickly connect donors with relatives' communities enduring drought. Now other sub-clans are using it as a model.
[special project]Madagascar fights the subtler side of hunger: chronic malnutritionDroughts and famines tend to afflict countries in cyclical fashion. But where chronic malnutrition is endemic, such as in Madagascar, they strike harder. Health education is a start, aid groups say 鈥撀燽ut adjusting priorities is important, too.聽Part 3 of our series on famine resilience.
[special project]Madagascar skirted famine 鈥� barely. Now, it's boosting resilience before drought returns.Where persistent drought is the new normal, communities will have to adapt 鈥撀燼 challenge across eastern Africa. But Madagascar鈥檚 success, and the lessons that it learned from its brush with disaster, point to how crises might be averted elsewhere.聽Part 2 of our series on famine resilience.
First LookIn drought stricken Kenya, Nairobi residents recycle polluted dam waterIn an effort to preserve drinking water, residents of Kibera, Nairobi's largest slum, have started to clean up the polluted city dam to prepare its water for industrial uses.
[special project]In Ethiopia, model drought defenses are put to the testThe country's booming capital, Addis Ababa, sits in stark contrast to rural areas struggling against two severe droughts in three years. But innovative aid has helped farming communities manage the crisis.聽Part 1 of our series on famine resilience.
In Ethiopia, drought shoves the ordinary 鈥� even marriage 鈥� just out of reachFailed rains have disrupted life here in ways seismic enough to register 鈥撀爄f barely 鈥撀爋n the Richter scale of global disasters. The government estimates that nearly 8 million people are in urgent need of assistance. But at close range, drought does even more than leave people hungry or far from home.聽
First LookStudy shows lack of malaria funding in sub-Saharan AfricaChad, Congo, and the Central African Republic are among the 'neglected' countries where there is little to no malaria research or funding despite high death rates related to the disease, according to a study released by University of Southampton in England.
In South Sudan, preparing young generation for young country's futureSouth Sudan became an independent nation only in 2011, but civil war broke out in 2013. One of NGOs' chief challenges is healing children's scars and educational deficits, whose affects may be felt for decades.
First LookIn Zimbabwe, benefits of forgotten farming method realized during droughtAs the effects of climate change become more apparent in Zimbabwe, traditional farming methods, like no-till farming, which is proving, in some cases, to increase productivity and save money, gain a rekindled reputation.聽
With few memories of Biafra War, young Nigerians renew calls for independenceFrustration over slow development in southeastern Nigeria has reawakened the separatist movement, despite the fact that few remember the war first-hand 鈥撀爋r maybe because they don鈥檛.
First LookViolence heats up in Central African RepublicUN troops are spread too thin to contain the violence, and local forces are poorly trained and under-equipped to deal with the sectarian fighting that has been raging since 2013.
First LookUN chief calls for international support to alleviate drought crisis in SomaliaIf the drought continues, the World Health Organization warns that a famine could be imminent in the country 鈥� but such an event is avoidable, with the proper aid.
First LookTimber theft: Malawi prepared to come down hard on 35 illegal loggersWhile observers say the arrests send a strong signal, most timber theft worldwide is not prosecuted.聽
First LookNames of 82 freed Chibok girls released to public, but parents still have to wait to be reunitedThe girls, captured three years ago by Boko Haram, were released in exchange for five commanders of the terrorist group.
As global famine aid comes up short, Somalis abroad step upEvery year, Somalis abroad send about $1.4 billion back home聽鈥� almost a quarter of the country鈥檚 GDP. As organizations like the United Nations warn that famine could spread, those remittances are an especially vital form of aid.
Instead of a wall, an open door: Why Ethiopia welcomes an enemy's refugeesCultural similarities have helped Ethiopia absorb more than 160,000 refugees from Eritrea, despite a still-bitter border dispute. But the government has also put out the welcome mat for strategic reasons, at a time when many countries are doing the opposite.
At stake in Johannesburg's 'recycling wars': more than trashInformal and formal sectors of the economy work side-by-side in many African nations聽鈥� but can they work together?
FocusAs aid rules tighten under Trump, Africa's family planning clinics gear up for major gapIn Zimbabwe, family planning aid has dramatically reduced maternal and infant mortality. Now, one group is scrambling to make up aid it will lose as the 'Mexico City' policy is reinstated 鈥� even though the group doesn't perform abortions in the country.
First LookPope Francis asks forgiveness for Church's 'sins and failings' during Rwandan genocidePope Francis formally apologized to Rwanda for the role Catholic clergy played in attacks, saying he hoped to begin a new chapter in the Church's relationship with the government and its people.
Did piracy ever really go away in Somalia?A NATO anti-piracy mission ended in December. It may have suppressed hijacking of merchant ships. But the ideological root of pirating remains alive and well.
