As we approach Suzan Shawa’s home, she stands with a broad smile at the edge of her yard. I stroll over, wrapping my chitenge cloth around my trousers and responding to her warm Chichewa greeting of “Muli Bwanji” (‘How are you?’). At the entrance, we washed our hands at a handwashing bucket with clean water and soap. I was… Read more →←
Topic: Big picture
The global COVID-19 pandemic changed lives in Kyrgyzstan as it did in many parts of the world. Due to the state of emergency in some cities and regions, including the capital Bishkek, many institutions were closed, some organizations switched to remote working, and people were only allowed to leave their houses to go to essential… Read more →←
In the family apartment, on the top floor of a residential building in Novi Sad, Serbia, architect Aca Stojanovic recalls how he questioned his own structural stability when his son Milutin was born. “When Milutin was born, it was something new, something unknown,” Aca says with a smile. “As a man, I’d never had contact with a… Read more →←
When I joined the UNICEF Sierra Leone office as the chief of education in 2014, the country was at the peak of its Ebola epidemic. I walked straight into a crisis that had put over 1.8 million school-going children and adolescents out of school. The effects of Ebola are terrifying. But like many public health crises, their impact on… Read more →←
How do you go from being a child refugee to the founder and CEO of one of Sweden’s biggest news agencies by the age of 29? It might sound surreal until you meet Kotada Yonus. This is his story about the power of will and entrepreneurship. Kotada Yonus runs Aktarr, a news and media agency in Malmö, Sweden. Aktarr focuses on… Read more →←
Worldwide, an estimated 650 million girls and women alive today were married as children. For some of these women and girls – this means a life of being denied their rights. Denied a seat in the classroom. Denied a chance to make their own decisions and denied a voice. In the places where child marriage is most prevalent, the practice… Read more →←
My sister is a nurse. She’s one of the female health heroes on the frontlines of the COVID-19 response, and she’s not alone. Women make up 70 per cent of health and social sector workers globally. Think about your latest social media feed. Caregivers overwhelmed with the dual care burdens of paid and unpaid work, from ensuring… Read more →←
On a recent trip to South Africa, I often heard it said that low-income groups have “good access to bad food and bad access to good food”. While the wealthier people can afford a variety of vegetables, fruits, nuts and lean meats, nutritious food is either too expensive or simply not sold in local shops in poorer areas. What people… Read more →←
The earthquake in Haiti on January 12, 2010 left more than 220,000 dead, 300,000 injured and 1.5 million homeless. Countless families were broken up and 750,000 children were directly affected. UNICEF staffers were there as well, suffering through the situation. Below is the story of Gabrielle Lafortune, a driver at UNICEF Haiti. During… Read more →←
“It’s calm now, but be ready to leave at any time,” come the instructions over the car radio. We’re driving east, through heavy snow, towards the mining settlement of Zolote 3, on the frontline of east Ukraine’s nearly 6-year old conflict. The so-called ‘frozen conflict’ in Europe’s backyard is still active and for the… Read more →←