The last week of November 2019 marked a major convening for the Open Contracting movement in Africa. The Local Open Contracting Initiative (LOCI) was held for the first time on 26 November 2019 along the side lines of the East Africa Procurement Forum in Arusha, Tanzania. LOCI is an initiative that fosters, ideas and linking […]
Why we’re helping farmers protect their seeds from private control People have a right to define their own food system. This includes which seeds they use. Last week, farmers in Nakuru County, Kenya, celebrated the launch of “Ten rich, underutilized crops,” a publication and documentary that capture their efforts to promote and sustain the varieties […]
Over the last two years, Seed Savers Network a social enterprise dedicated to improving seed access and agro-biodiversity conservation in partnership with Hivos East Africa has been researching and documenting crops that are under-utilised in Kenya. After months of research, documentation and analysis the findings from farmers’ as well as nutritionists were documented in a […]
From December 3rd–7th, delegates from Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Zambia, Malawi and South Africa will gather in Nakuru, Kenya, to participate in the event “Shaping the future of food system in Africa”. Delegates are members of the Indigenous Terra Madre (ITM) network, the Slow Food Youth Network (SFYN), as well as the Hivos Sustainable Diets for […]
The long journey As the Creative Dialogues about the 10 years of powering lives in Africa came to an end, my colleague challenged me to opine what the experience has been since the beginning. Just a glance at this documentary reminded me of the unforgettable memories created from implementing the Africa Biogas Partnership Programme (ABPP). […]
What’s the current DNA of African cities? African cities are full of culture, diversity and creativity – bursting with changing sounds, smells, colors and rhythms. They’re also bustling with more and more people who have come to seek better opportunities. But how fast are these cities responding to social challenges such as lack of access […]
Sexual harassment is increasingly one of the most terrible forms of violence against women in the world of work and is particularly a problem in the new global economy where the workforce is comprised largely of young women with little formal education or previous work experience. As a young 21-year-old graduate, I was desperate for […]
Art, music, food and innovation: The African Crossroads combo on Saturday The second edition of the African Crossroads (being held in Mombasa, Kenya) bringing together 170 participants from 30 countries in Europe, Africa and South America will be open to the public on 23 November 2019. The events of the Open Day will be held […]
Kwame Nyong’o is a visual artist, animator and writer. As a graduate of a school of fine arts in the US, Kwame has created various animations and produced several children’s books such as I love Ugali (a type of maize flour porridge) and Sukuma Wiki (a traditional vegetable dish in East Africa ), that tell […]
Exposure to household air pollution kills 3.8 million people yearly. In my country Kenya for example, household air pollution claims over 21,500 lives each year. Countries have committed to ensuring universal access to clean, modern energy for cooking by the year 2030 as part of 17 global development goals, but low levels of investment in […]
Fatoumata Sanfo lives in Burkina Faso, in the heart of the Sahel region. For her, “socio-economic transformation” simply means access to clean, safe and affordable energy to cook meals for her family. Her story is representative of the worrying global situation of populations in developing countries still dependent on firewood and charcoal as a source […]
Flora Mpukwini speaks firmly. She is not shy either as she does not mince her words when she narrates a case where a security guard at the farm was sexually harassing a fellow woman worker. Flora has worked at the farm, Mount Meru Flowers in Arusha, for eight years. She recounts that sexual harassment cases […]