Africa

Tinodaishe Mukarati in her greenhouse at her hydroponic farm in Zimbabwe

Mother-daughter team in Zimbabwe expand hydroponic farming industry

The first time we harvested, it felt so good to win; to hold the entitlement of our achievement. The veggies we grew were for family consumption, but soon we realized we could commercialize our small space and sell to others. We took our produce to market and people liked it.

Designer David Ochieng in Avido fashion in his home neighborhood of Kibera slum

Fashion designer from Kenya slum danced to pay for fabric, featured in Vogue

After some of our dancers were mistaken for thugs and killed, my mom urged me to pursue something else. Today, my fashion designs have been recognized by Beyonce, Bruno Mars, and other celebrities.

The Patel Dam in Solei after bursting over its banks and killing 48 people

Solai Dam tragedy survivor reflects on near-death experience

I rushed home, but there was nothing left—not even my house. The water had washed away virtually everything. My family was nowhere in sight. I couldn't believe the scene before my eyes.

Makomborero Haruzivishe spent nearly a year behind bars for what he says are false charges of inciting public violence

Zimbabwean political activist recounts time behind bars

While imprisoned, I mobilized other prisoners to know their rights. I believe in people’s power; that's why I decided to become an ambassador of hope, even behind bars.

Experiences during Rwandan genocide still haunt nurse 28 years later

They had murdered hundreds of thousands of people, cutting them into pieces with machetes. I was surrounded by soldiers and my fate seemed sealed, but I prayed to God to help me.

Seedballs are seeds of indigenous trees coated with charcoal dust, which protects them from the environment until conditions are favorable for germination

Seedballs Aim to Curb Deforestation in Kenya

In this Instagram generation, everything is so fast and so quick. You want your tree to be 10 feet tall by morning. However, nature moves at its own pace, and growth takes a little longer.

Mike Wamaya leads a dance class at Project Elimu. Hundreds of students have passed through his doors, learning life and social skills in addition to dance

Kenyan man combats poverty and hopelessness with dance

I teach possibilities. Dreaming is possible, and I let children dream in my class. Hundreds of children have passed through this dance program. They’ve learned much more than just steps; they’re dancing their way out of hopelessness.

Sourou's next goal is competing in the 2022 World Tango Championship

One man is on a mission to bring tango to Africa

As I researched tango, I discovered a much more intense emotional connection than I had known until then. I realized that tango is much more than knowledge of a well-executed technique. I think it has to do with the connection of souls through time, and that it can happen in any corner of the world with people from different cultures.

Now the mother of three daughters of her own, Sadia vows to protect as many girls as she can from the pain and trauma of FGM

Once a victim herself, Kenyan Parliament hopeful fights to eradicate female genital mutilation

I silently prayed, waiting in fear for whatever was about to happen. A few minutes later, I felt a sharp pain in my genital area as my flesh was cut off. They gave me no painkillers or anesthesia as they cut; the pain overwhelmed me, and I lost all my strength.

Benson and Emmanuel Ndwiga were last seen alive on Aug. 1, 2021. Their deaths while in police custody sparked demonstrations and protests in Embu County that resulted in additional violence

Kenyan mother remembers ‘Kianjokoma brothers,’ killed in police custody

Wherever we looked, we turned up nothing. The hours stretched on, and my anxiety and fear grew. I just kept wishing over and over they would appear or that we would get through to them by phone. We didn't search for them in a morgue, as I could not imagine or think of their death.

Seconds before the bus tipped into the flooded Enziu River. So far, the death toll is at 33, including several children

Survivor of Kenya Bus Accident Recounts Tragedy

Within a minute, I felt the bus sliding toward the left and almost instantly, it overturned completely into the river. Screams filled the air, with many calling the name of Jesus Christ to save us.

Nearly five years after the vicious attack, Jackline's former husband was sentenced to 30 years behind bars for attempted murder.

Face of gender-based violence in Kenya looks back on her attack

My neighbors heard me screaming and called the police. They found me in a pool of blood with a severed hand on the floor. My other hand was almost detached and could not be saved.

Chief Justice Martha Koome was elected to office in May 2021.

From farm to courtroom: meet Kenya’s first female chief justice

All of these achievements have come because of, not in spite of, my rural upbringing. Those tough lessons allow me to be of service—not just to women and children, but to an entire nation.

Tens of thousands have been arrested illegally crossing the Limpopo River since Zimbabwe closed its borders in January 2020

Woman risks crocodiles, abuse in illegal river crossing to South Africa

They shoved us into the waters, shouting vulgarities as we crossed. I thought we were going to die, attacked and torn apart by the crocodiles who called the river home.

Now a preacher and father, Kenyan John Kibera once robbed graves for a living

Former grave robber recounts shootout that led to reform

Our target was not the poor, who are buried like dead animals covered with soil. We liked the graves of the rich, covered by a raised, cemented slab.

Zera with her baby daughter. In Kenya, nearly 1 out of 5 girls between 15-19 years old is either pregnant or already a mother

Poverty drives young Kenyan girl into sex trade

The men took advantage of our desperation and ignorance, using us for their pleasure and paying nearly nothing.

Some Ol Moran residents awoke to devastation after bandits torched their homes

Bandits destroy homes, livelihoods in rural Kenya

Many of us cried like little children—We had lost everything we worked for our entire lives.

Chris Makena is an actor, journalist, and activist in Kenya, challenging norms and creating supports for the LGBTQ+ community

Kenyan journalist, forcibly outed, lives their truth and launches Bold Network Africa

Out on the street, I saw that someone had spray painted “Gay Journalist” in big letters across my car. I felt myself sink down into what would become months of depression.

Mathew with his parents at his secondary school (high school) graduation

Kenyan man achieves college diploma after 30 years

We were so poverty-stricken that our village considered us social pariahs. We would go begging for jobs around the neighborhood and instead be chased away, beaten, and even spat on.

Former Olympian uses boxing to mentor children in Nairobi slums

One night, we all slept hungry, and I came home the next day to find my mother crying. It was then that I decided that my hands would change our story, and ventured into boxing for money.

Kenya’s top journalist works as a mortician while covering the news

He's a newsroom mortician where the stories are deadly and funerals are feared.

Catherine Korwanyanga during her graduation ceremony at Kenyatta University, Kenya in June 2021

Girl who escaped female genital mutilation graduates with honors

After Graduating with a First-Class Honors in my Bachelor of Education, I am now a champion for women’s rights in West Pokot.

Richard Muasya, also referred to as RM in court documents, is an intersex person who was wrongfully convicted and abused in prison.

I underwent sexual abuse as an intersex person in Kenyan prisons

In our community, you are either a man or a woman. I grew up as a man due to my community’s expectations and having been born in the 70s, a time when no one knew about intersex people. I was therefore forced to live and act like a man.

Debra Daisy with her baby at her sister's house. She now lives with her sister after her father kicked her out of their house for being pregnant. | David Bett

Nairobi teen facing poverty during pandemic turns to sex trade

Hospital bills, fraudulent doctors, poverty and COVID-19 all contribute to a rise of impoverished teen mothers with nowhere to turn.

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