The world’s largest refugee camp: what is the future for Dadaab?

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  Advin Arnby Machata/ GSDM West Africa Dadaab, the 20-year-old refugee camp spawned by the Somali Civil War, has become a perpetual humanitarian disaster, with thousands of people malnourished, without shelter or any means of subsistence. Providing what little health care and social services there are in the camps still costs the Kenyan government and […]

Helena Lutege: A female entrepreneur transforming the lives of thousands in Tanzania

Helena, the BELITA founder, standing in front of the servant's quarter's old BELITA office.

Mrs. Helena Lutege is an inspiring women entrepreneur in Tanzania. Coming from a background characterised by poverty, she was determined to work hard to break through and live a decent life. Helena is the founder of Better Life for Tanzanians Trust Fund (BELITA), a microfinance organisation which she started eight years ago to provide financial services to small entrepreneurs, especially women, in Tanzania. Helena was born […]

The Democratic Republic of Congo: A Historical Timeline

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The Democratic Republic of the Congo is not officially at war, but for decades the ordinary Congolese haven’t experienced an essence of peace either. After years of bloodshed and devastation, the DRC is staggering towards normalcy, but after brief intervals the country finds itself rebound into violent conflicts again and again. This Spring 2012 edition […]

NGO in Focus: African Initiatives – Empowering Tanzania’s Girls

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In Tanzania, there is a large disparity between boys’ and girls’ school enrollment and performance. GSDM catches up with African Initiatives, a shining example of effective solutions that empower Tanzania’s girls in the face of widespread sexual abuse and cultural preference for educating boys. Widespread gender disparity in educational attainment in Tanzania is due to a […]

Hunger in the Desert

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The fate of the toddler girl, until today, is still unknown. The image of the emaciated unclothed crawling girl is still fresh in many people’s minds. With her knees bended, elbows firmly placed on the ground; hands clutching the barren land and her head sunken in despair below the scorching sun the picture stunned the […]

2,200 Households Better Off in South Sudan

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With failed rains, conflict and poor infrastructure, many communities in South Sudan struggle to get enough to eat. Justin Madut tends his new groundnut and sorghum fields. Justin Madut’s family was one of many badly affected by a long drought that lasted for six months. They had only one meal a day during the drought. […]