An infestation of desert locusts first arrived in East Africa last June, feeding on hundreds of thousands of hectares of crops and pastureland and chomping a path of destruction through at least eight countries. Scientists say these devastating insects never left East Africa: in fact, favorable wet conditions due to above average rainfall this season means they are likely to achieve two generations of new breeding by June this year, increasing their population size up to 400 times. Read my latest for Quartz Africa here.
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Ibado Mohammed Abdulle is a counsellor, friend and campaigner for women who have been made refugees in their own country by the impact of the climate crisis. Read my story from Somaliland here.
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Read my contribution to this Quartz collaboration about the impact of COVID-19 on informal workers here.
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March 30, 2020Videos
Climate change is driving gender-based violence among rural communities in the breakaway region of Somaliland, according to the charity Oxfam. In times of increasing drought, women travel further to find water and other needs, raising the risk of sexual violence. Similarly, men unable to support their families too often take out their frustration on their family.
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When kenya announced in June that it would issue new 1,000 shilling ($10) notes and destroy the old ones to fight corruption, many predicted chaos. India’s efforts to do the same by “demonetising” rupees in 2016 led to riots, deaths and a dent in economic growth. Read about Kenya’s unexpectedly orderly demonetisation scheme in my Economist piece.
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March 27, 2020Videos
After years of devastating droughts, many rural families in the breakaway territory of Somaliland are migrating to urban centers. To survive, some women are going into business, challenging traditional gender roles that have long defined the workforce.
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Schistocerca gregaria, better known as the desert locust, has smitten East Africa like a plague from the Bible. Read my report from Somaliland about how the pests have devastated farmers and pastoralists in East Africa.
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February 17, 2020Articles
Kenyan runners are known worldwide for winning gold medals and breaking world records. But the country’s first performance athletic shoe company, Enda, ran into multiple hurdles when trying to convince investors at home and abroad Kenya could become a significant manufacturing hub.
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Yemen’s four years of devastating civil war have taken the hardest toll on women and girls. Many have become widowed and must support their families alone without the needed skills or education. In one remote desert village, the U.S. aid group International Rescue Committee has established a center for teaching skills and empowerment to vulnerable women and girls.
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January 8, 2019Videos
As the conflict in Yemen rages on, Yemen’s humanitarian crisis worsens.
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