Jul 23 Chief Ebola doctor contracts the deadly virus By Ayan Sheikh The doctor leading the fight against the world’s deadliest Ebola outbreak in Sierra Leone has contracted the virus, according to government officials. Sheik Umar Khan has been admitted to a hospital in the Eastern province of Sierra Leone and is… Continue reading
Jul 17 Photo essay: Sex and drugs in an HIV-infected paradise By Jason Kane, Victoria Fleischer Malindi, Kenya: A vacation destination with something for everyone. Sitting on the crystal coast of east Africa, the resort town offers glass-bottomed boat cruises, authentic Italian pasta, sex-for-hire and dirt-cheap heroin. Continue reading
Jul 13 Two African cities top list of most expensive places for American expats By Xander Landen Luanda, Angola is the most expensive city in the world for Americans to live, according to Mercer’s 2014 Cost of Living Rankings released this month. N’Djamena, Chad, took the second-place spot. Continue reading
Jul 10 More than half the world’s population lives in urban areas, UN report finds By Talia Mindich The world's urban population has ballooned to 3.9 billion, or 54 percent of the total population, in 2014, the United Nations reported today. By 2050, this proportion is expected to increase to 66 percent. Continue reading
Jul 10 Mentally ill shackled and neglected in Africa’s crisis regions By Victoria Fleischer Robin Hammond had never considered the long-term mental health effects on the Africans whose stories of war, famine and conflict he had covered for 12 years as a documentary photographer. But on a 2011 reporting trip to Sudan, he witnessed… Continue reading
Jul 08 At its third anniversary, South Sudan works to show new brighter side By Larisa Epatko After gaining its independence three years ago, South Sudan got a rush of media attention. But the continued internal fighting has cast the nascent country in a harsh light. The women at the Roots Project are hoping their handiwork and… Continue reading
Jun 20 Meet ‘Claude,’ one of many displaced children seeking refuge in cities By Larisa Epatko Three years ago, 13-year-old “Claude” -- a pseudonym used for his protection -- had to flee his home in the Democratic Republic of Congo when his village came under attack. He was separated from his mother and he hasn’t seen… Continue reading
Jun 02 Radio drama encounters real-life trauma in South Sudan By Larisa Epatko A new radio drama in South Sudan called Sawa Shabab coaches young listeners on life skills and getting along with others. But just as production was set to begin, violence erupted in the country -- the same violence the show's… Continue reading
May 27 Zebras take prize for longest terrestrial large mammal migration in Africa By Justin Scuiletti What’s black and white and holds the new record for large mammal land migrations in Africa? Eight collared adult female Burchell’s zebras, according to new findings. Continue reading
May 19 Inspired by a plastic bag’s potential, nonprofit trains mothers in Ghana By Larisa Epatko Friends Rebecca Brandt and Callie Brauel quickly learned two things while they were studying and volunteering in Ghana’s capital Accra: everyone drinks water out of disposable bags, which end up discarded in the streets, and tens of thousands of children… Continue reading