insert_link Namibia 362 gender-based violence cases recorded from January to April! https://youtu.be/no_LjpMYE4o By Finna Kahili, via News on One Media reports and police cases indicate that the Namibian landscape has been plagued by a surge in incidents of gender-based violence and rape, sparking significant concern. Speaking to News on One, City Police Superintendent Marcelline Murapo revealed some alarming statistics, namely that from January to April this year alone, a total of 362 cases of gender-based violence were recorded. Disturbingly, among these […] todayMay 27, 2024 12
insert_link Africa “Silent disease” outed at African Hepatitis Convention From the left: Mark Sonderup, Danjuma Adda, Mark Heywood, Elaine Saayman and Yolaan Andrews during a session at the African Viral Hepatitis Convention on Saturday. Photo: Liezl Human By Liezl Human, via GroundUp The African Viral Hepatitis Convention this past week has put a spotlight on the need for eliminating hepatitis B and C, a disease which has infected millions of South Africans and can cause liver cancer if […] todayMay 21, 2024 10
insert_link Opinion Pieces Men’s mental health matters: breaking down barriers and seeking support In Namibia, as in many parts of the world, there's a silent struggle happening among men – a struggle with mental health. But why is it silent? Why aren't we talking about it more openly? The truth is, there are several reasons why men tend to keep their mental health struggles to themselves. For one, there's this idea that men should be tough, strong, and always in […] todayMay 17, 2024 6
insert_link Africa Children born of rape: the devastating legacy of sexual violence in post-genocide Rwanda By Myriam Denov, McGill University Trigger warning: this article contains accounts of sexual violence. The 1994 Rwandan genocide against the Tutsi led to the murder of more than 800,000 people, an estimated 70% of the country’s Tutsi population. The unprecedented violence and mass killings of Tutsi and non-extremist Hutu were carried out over 100 days between April and July 1994. An estimated 250,000–500,000 women and girls were […] todayApril 9, 2024 2
insert_link Lifestyle Zulu culture and sexual orientation: South African study reveals the health costs of stigma By Ikekhwa Albert Ikhile, University of South Africa Same-sex relationships are legal in South Africa and protected by the constitution. Unfair discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation is against the law. But in practice many cultures don’t necessarily see this as a right. Traditional Zulu culture, for example, perceives same-sex relationships and sexual intercourse as taboo and unAfrican. Statements like “real men are not gay” […] todayMarch 27, 2024 18
insert_link Business / Economics Economic inclusion of people with disabilities cornerstone for Economic growth By Josef Kefas Sheehama It is indeed regrettable that people with disabilities continue to face exclusion from the economy. We are excluded from employment, skills training, education, and other critical areas of development. The latest reports indicated that 95% of people who have disabilities in the Kunene region are unemployed, while in the Khomas region, it is nearly 70% according to the Namibia Association for Wheelchair Users. […] todayMarch 13, 2024 4
insert_link Health / Medical Stigma kills people with alcohol addiction sirtravelalot/Shutterstock Ashwin Dhanda, University of Plymouth One of my patients, Emma (not her real name), recently told me that she didn’t seek help for her alcohol problem because she was ashamed. She said that she didn’t want to waste anyone’s time on a self-inflicted problem. She lived with it for years, hiding bottles of alcohol so her partner wouldn’t find out. Only when she turned yellow and vomited blood did […] todayFebruary 6, 2024 11
insert_link Africa Cameroonian girls combat menstrual stigma through school clubs and education By Brenda Kiven, via bird story At 12 years old, a shy Wendy Musi had never heard of a menstrual cycle. The fourth child and one of two girls in a family with six boys, menstruation was simply not a topic discussed at home. Then, one day, Wendy’s world changed. When she got to school, she felt pains in her lower belly. When her French language teacher failed to […] todayDecember 21, 2023 13
insert_link Africa Patients’ beliefs about illness matter: the case of elephantiasis in rural Ghana Kristi Heather Kenyon, University of Winnipeg; Alexander Kwarteng, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST); Colleen McMillan, University of Waterloo; Mary Asirifi, MacEwan University, and Regiane Garcia, Simon Fraser University Would you take medication for an illness you didn’t believe you had? Or if you disagreed with healthcare workers about the cause of your condition? This is the dilemma of many people who live in areas of Ghana where […] todayNovember 23, 2023 3
Paying it forward: Kenyan coastal doctor Bashrahil Mohammed Mafudh has made it his life’s work to care for the most vulnerable in his community, at no cost.
