Region: East Africa
-
Effective climate action requires coherence between adaptation and mitigation
Basically everyone agrees that climate change is the biggest challenge of the coming decades. It is also widely recognized that vulnerable people in low- and middle-income countries will be hit hardest by its impact. The consequences have already affected their lives severely. Urgent action is therefore required. As I already laid out in this interview,…
-
Partner with Hivos in Creative Expression for Democracy
The cultural and creative sector in East Africa is a sleeping giant. Experts argue that the sector can thrive when given a little push in the right direction. Hivos East Africa’s interest in this sector emerges from the right to free expression. While the sector has the power to stimulate economic growth and social justice,…
-
UN Environment Assembly plants food at heart of environment debate
By Immaculate Yossa and Nout van der Vaart Nout van der Vaart and Immaculate Yossa report back from the Fourth session of the UN Environment Assembly There is an inextricable link between food production and consumption, and the health of our environment. While this two-way relationship has long gone largely unseen, the awareness of how…
-
Rediscovering the value of indigenous fruits through Uganda’s Fruit and Juice Festival
By John Kiwagalo For generations, indigenous fruits such as avocado, mango and passion fruit, have been widely praised for their significant role in ensuring biodiversity conservation and for their nutritional value for the Ugandan population. However, these and other indigenous fruits are being increasingly replaced with foreign fruits and manufactured juices. This has affected the…
-
Hivos-Triodos Fund celebrates 25 years of impact investment
This year marks 25 years since the creation of the Hivos-Triodos Fund (HTF). In 1994, the joint initiative of Hivos and Triodos Bank started as one of the first movers worldwide in financial inclusion investments. From its early beginnings, HTF invested in microfinance institutions, making small loans available to entrepreneurs in disadvantaged markets in developing…
-
Women working in flower farms often denied maternity leave
By Joyce Chimbi Giving birth to a new life is supposed to bring joy and happiness to the mother and family. But for women working in the horticulture industry, particularly flower farms, such an act is often a source of pain and sorry. Women workers often have to make painful choices of getting pregnant or…
-
UN meeting puts spotlight on violations of Kenyan women in flower farms
By AWC Feature Service The violations and abuse of human rights of women workers in flower farms in Kenya and other African countries took center stage at the ongoing Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) in New York. Participants and women workers shared stories of having to work overtime without pay, especially during peak season that happens…
-
“I have used a kerosene lantern for the last 25 years”-energy stories from Kenya
By Caroline Wahome Kenya’s population is estimated at 50 million of whom 73% have access to electricity via either grid or off-grid electricity solutions. While the government is committed to providing electricity for all by 2022, grid extension can be slow and expensive. Hivos believes that decentralized renewable energy options such as solar mini-grids provide…
-
Why HR professionals should embrace diversity and inclusion at the workplace
By Levis Maina On 28 February 2019, I was invited to speak at the Human Resource professionals Open Forum organised by the Institute of Human Resources Management (IHRM) in collaboration with Hivos East Africa. Every time I think of ‘Human Resources’ (HR), my mind conjures up a bunch of job rejection letters I received, and…
-
Women@Work Campaign hosts three side events at CSW
Hivos East Africa will host three side events at the sixty-third session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), which will take place at the United Nations Headquarters in New York from 11 – 22 March 2019. The events will be held together with partners who are implementing the Women@Work Campaign: Kenya Human Rights Commission,…
-
Women are still feeding a gender unbalanced world
By Caroline Wahome My father hardly cooked. I only remember two instances where he offered to prepare lunch. He didn’t go to the market either for groceries shopping. I can picture him with a ‘kiondo’ (woven basket) haggling over potato and cabbage price. That would never have happened. When he purchased land, he didn’t register…
-
More than defying the odds to create a gender equal world
As the world celebrates International Women’s Day, this year’s theme #BalanceforBetter provides a breeding ground for recognizing the potential of a gender equal world in ending inequalities that continue to exist in our society. Hivos adds a voice to this momentous occasion by sharing the stories of some of the amazing and powerful women we…
