Source: Lesotho Times
Lockdown restrictions aimed at fighting the Covid-19 pandemic in Lesotho have had an unintended adverse negative impact of undermining women's customary land rights, a regional human rights body has found.
Source: allAfrica
More than 10,000 girls over 30 years. That's how many girls three women here cut in female genital mutilation rituals - almost one girl a day, every day, spanning three decades.
Now in their 70s, Chepchongil Cheleston, Kokarupe Lorwu and Methani Chepurai Lokuda are female genital mutilation survivors and former cutters who have turned their backs on the blade, fighting against the harmful practice and encouraging a younger generation to do the same.
Source: GhanaToday
CAMFED Ghana, as part of its support for entrepreneurs, recently provided 60 young women entrepreneurs with start-up kits, specialist equipment, and training, to enable them to launch or grow their businesses in 2021.
Source: UNFPA East and Southern Africa
Reflections by Dr. Julitta Onabanjo, UNFPA Regional Director for East and Southern Africa.
As governments and communities rallied together to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, other humanitarian crises caused by conflict and natural disasters continued unabated. This is the situation faced by Mozambique, a nation that was still wrestling with the devastating impact of two cyclones in 2019 when a tropical storm and another cyclone hit recently – amid the violent conflict in its northern reaches. By the time the New Year rang in, more than 1.3 million Mozambicans were in need of humanitarian aid and protection.
Source: Anadolu Agency
Technology invented by young doctor Conrad Tankou has made cervical and breast cancer screening easier in rural areas of Bamenda in northwestern Cameroon.
Source: The Point
The Women’s Bureau is intensifying its campaign against deeply-rooted, cultural traditional practise, dubbed, Female Genital Cutting/Mutilation (FGC/M), Gender Based Violence, Early and forceful marriage among host of other issues affecting the wellbeing of women and girls.
Source: Aljazeera
After securing historic gains, the political engagement and representation of Tunisian women is now waning alarmingly.
Source: Thomson Reuters Foundation
Charlette N'Guessan Desiree loved maths and science as a student in Ivory Coast but never imagined she would one day use her problem-solving savvy to develop facial recognition technology more adept at identifying and verifying African faces. Her company, BACE Group, hopes its artificial intelligence (AI) software will be used across the continent - helping universities to verify students for financial services, banks to sign up new clients, and security firms to fight crime.
Source: Nation
There is now hope of Kenyan female entrepreneurs gaining more traction in the African continent’s trade sector as the African Union’s flagship project of a free trade zone takes effect.
Source: allAfrica
Somali women's rights activists and politicians want a 30% quota for female lawmakers to be enshrined in law. Ahead of upcoming elections, female candidates and campaigners are apprehensive.
Source: Reuters
From a women-only driving school to an all-female taxi service — a South African activist-turned-entrepreneur has been tackling high rates of sexual assault by providing safe transport in one of the country's most crime-ridden areas.
Source: Thomson Reuters Foundation
In Ethiopia’s Tigray, allegations of sexual abuse by soldiers are widespread, putting health services under strain for beds, contraception and STI tests.
Source: Thomson Reuters Foundation
CAIRO, Jan 21 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Egypt's cabinet has toughened a law banning female genital mutilation (FGM) - imposing jail terms of up to 20 years as part of efforts to stamp out the ancient practice.
Source: Africa News
As greener solutions become the future for the automobile industry, a local start-up in Ghana is providing the platform for female engineers in a sector dominated by men. The automobile manufacturing industry has for years been dominated by men. A team of young female engineers is poised to change the narrative. Solartaxi Ghana is a local start-up helping women contribute to finding greener solutions. The start-up seeks to promote the use of electric vehicles across the country. And these women are at the forefront of driving that ambition.
Source: UNFPA
When Moses Nkosi fell ill and was taken to the hospital as a child, he was inspired by the health workers who attended him to follow in their footsteps. Achieving this dream was not easy, yet the challenges he faced may have helped prepare him to tackle the difficult time ahead for mothers-to-be in his community during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Source: Vanguard
FOUR Nigerian women have been named among 100 Outstanding Women Nurses and Midwives Leaders by the Women in Global Health.
They were named as part of activities to mark the 2020 International Year of the Nurse and the Midwife.
Source: Voice of America
KAOLACK, SENEGAL - An organization run by women in Senegal, ElleSolaire, was supplying solar panels to light up country homes that are off the power grid.
Source: Daily Trust
Nigeria is one of the countries with the highest maternal mortality rates in the world, with the country accounting for about 20 per cent of global maternal deaths. Daily Trust Saturday, in this report, examines some of the factors responsible for this ugly trend.
Source: Africa Renewal
Thirty-two-year-old Mariam Traoré, a community health worker in Mali, starts her day with a COVID-19 self-check, including body temperature and other symptoms such as cough, sore throat, loss of smell or taste. If all is good, Ms. Traoré then gears up with a mask and face shield before leaving her house in Yirimadio, a district on the outskirts of the capital Bamako. She remembers to carry enough gloves to protect herself and others when visiting patients across her local town.
Source: DW News
Sierra Leone has one of the highest rates of female genital mutilation in Africa. Despite decades of campaigns, the traditional practice has hardly declined. This doesn't deter Rugiatu Turay from fighting cutting.