Region: East Africa
-
Let’s prioritize the mental health and wellbeing of sexual and reproductive health rights defenders
By Maureen Mukalo, We Lead safety and security officer, and Lillian Matemu, We Lead program officer. Both based in East Africa To mark this year’s Human Rights day, we are reflecting on the safety and security of human rights defenders working to advance sexual and reproductive health rights in the Global South. The majority of…
-
Meet the young women who advocate for their (SRH) rights
Adolescent girls and young women are disproportionately the objects of gender-based violence. Especially those who are displaced, live with a disability or HIV, or who identify as lesbian, bisexual, transgender or intersex. They are often the most neglected and the hardest to reach. That is why during this year’s 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based…
-
More effective grant making through linking and learning
“Linking and learning promotes local ownership by creating an encouraging safe platform for rightsholders to lead debates and come up with solutions to the adversities they face.” By Wendy Otieno, Linking and Learning Amplifier- Kenya We are all witness to the ravaging effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, not just on our health, but on our…
-
Africa Crossroads’ climate conference: organic maximalism and radical inclusion
Blog by Onai Mushava, freelance contributor at This is Africa. This article is written as part of a storytelling series commissioned in partnership with African Crossroads and was originally published on This is Africa. News has never been greener, from corporate green-prints and multi-lateral alphabet soup to pop music and dystopian cinema, but ordinary people’s…
-
COP26: Difficult conversations are necessary in climate finance
By Jean Marc Sika and Sally Akinyi The urgency of the current climate crisis as described by the scientific community for the remaining part of this century signals a horrific journey ahead. An overheated planet ravaged by disasters due to the highest global temperatures in 125,000 years and the fastest rising sea level in 10,000…
-
Climate justice at African Crossroads
On October 14 and 15, Hivos’ African Crossroads will organize its fourth edition. The theme of this year’s gathering is ECOEXISTENCE. At the end of Crossroads 2021, participants will emerge with an actionable (collective) manifesto that aims to shape the trajectory of climate justice on the African continent for the years to come. African Crossroads…
-
An inclusive movement for safe abortions
Today, the 28th of September, we celebrate the International Day of Access to Safe and Legal Abortion. What started as a regional campaign in Latin America, has grown into a worldwide movement for the rights to make decisions about one’s own body and to access basic health care. We sat down with Lucy Minayo, Program…
-
East Africa’s creatives are boldly championing the right to access information
By Churchill Ongere, Sally Akinyi The intrinsic value of the creative economy has often been linked to its power in championing open societies that uphold free expression and democracy. But more often than not, it’s easy to miss the mark of the role of arts and culture in propelling access to information and its necessity…
-
Hivos Launches “Letters to Creatives”
Hivos, through its Resource of Open Minds (R.O.O.M.) program, has been enabling a new generation of artists to produce critical cultural content on the African continent.
-
Hivos at the Africa Climate Week
Local communities should be involved in influencing decision-making at the local level and up the chain to the global level. This is especially true for Africa’s communities, who are least responsible for climate change, but suffering most from climate impact. Hivos will be accelerating this debate and much more on 26 September 2021 from 17:00-18:00hrs…
-
How we are working to improve the socio-economic position of LGBTIQ+ people
Worldwide, a disproportionate number of LGBTIQ+ people are poor, unemployed and economically disadvantaged. Hivos wants to change this. So this year we kicked off our five-year ‘Free to be Me’ program. Together with local organizations from 14 countries in Africa, the Middle East and Asia, we will strive to increase the socio-economic rights of the…
-
Tabu Osusa and preserving Kenya’s musical heritage
You can easily pass Tabu Osusa on the streets of Nairobi without recognizing this historical figure’s contribution to East Africa’s arts and cultural space. Born 67 years ago in Western Kenya, Tabu has carved out a name for himself in the arts, culture and music scene. He has put on different hats in his 40-year…
