Archives: Blogs
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Beyond maize: Exploring agricultural diversification in Zambia
Zambia has one of the world’s highest rates of undernourishment: more than a third of children under five have stunted growth, and a quarter of adults are obese. The reason: the country’s over-dependence on maize. A new report looks at how to increase crop diversity, support better nutrition and support resilience at local and national level.…
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The way forward for Syrian women
How Hivos is helping them in their battle for peace, rights, and inclusion Last July, I attended a conference on women’s rights in Syria organized by Hivos and its partners. To some it may sound strange to focus on women’s rights in a country being torn apart by a civil war. Because if you ask…
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Cigarettes can teach us a lesson when it comes to clean cooking
By Thabit Mikidadi, From sexy and cool to a sign of bad choices and unhealthy habits; conversations around cigarette smoking are starting to shift thanks to decisive campaigns that have reduced its usage after many health-related complications were attributed to its use. The use of cigarettes has been declining worldwide especially in the west thanks…
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Information is power
How more transparent public spending processes can improve communities’ needs in Indonesia Imagine: an Indonesian school gets good news. The local government has decided to buy it new computers. The order is placed. But when the computers arrive, it turns out the school doesn’t have enough electricity. The students are all eager to use them…
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Sparking transformation one young person at a time
From initiating a school strike to being nominated for the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize, Greta Thunberg has demonstrated how determination and belief in a need for change can spark local and global movements. At 16 years of age, Greta’s understanding that there is an urgent need to act on climate change in order to ensure…
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Una transformación a la vez
Desde haber iniciado una huelga escolar hasta la obtención de una nominación para el Premio Nobel de la Paz 2019, las acciones de Greta Thunberg han demostrado que la determinación y la convicción de que existe una necesidad de generar un cambio pueden provocar movimientos locales y globales. A la edad de 16 años, Greta…
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Celebrating unique languages
To celebrate World Indigenous People’s Day, we’re sharing some of the different voices and languages that make our world so rich! Did you know that the United Nations General Assembly declared 2019 the International Year of Indigenous Languages (IY2019) to raise awareness of the crucial role languages play in people’s daily lives? This is because…
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Tackling rape, discrimination; women committee to the rescue
“It was about noon. He told me his wife was not around and if we could go for lunch together. We’ve had lunch together with his wife before. I didn’t think much about it. We went to have lunch near the wash area, where there is a changing room which spray workers use. There were…
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Consumer Unity and Trust Society, an SD4ALL partner appointed to sit on Food Safety Coordinating Committee in Zambia
The Consumer Unity and Trust Society (CUTS) has been appointed to sit on the Food Safety Coordinating Committee in Zambia. This development comes at a time when the Parliamentary Committee on Health, Community Development and Social Services is currently engaging in dialogue on the Food Safety Bill 2019 in Zambia. The objective of the Food…
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CSR Africa portal blooms at the Kenyan flower fair
A sea of roses, great Indian food and a dedicated team all set to improve working conditions in the flower industry. That pretty much sums up our experience at the Kenyan Floriculture Trade Fair (IFTEX), which took place from June 5 to 7 in the Oshwal Center in Nairobi. Every year, flower growers, buyers and…
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Are we keeping up? An audit of East and Southern Africa states’ compliance with labor and rights instruments
By Kalevera E Imungu, Programme Associate Women@Work The #MeToo movement has become synonymous with breaking power structures and shedding light on sexual harassment. Momentum created by this campaign was and continues to be unprecedented, but for lasting change to occur, there needs to be lasting structures, locally and internationally that recognize and address sexual harassment…
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Mental health: How are vulnerable populations coping?
By Kelly Imathiu, Strong in Diversity program officer, Hivos East Africa Vulnerable populations of all kinds** generally have the least access to health services, including mental health, globally. In the Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender and Intersex (LGBTI) movement in Kenya, which Hivos supports through various programs, the situation is no different. It is led and…