Health

I’d rather help my customers stay healthy than make money

The reason I was named Emama Fishka (Mama Whistle) was because there was a cholera outbreak in 2016 and I was screaming at people who wanted to eat without washing their hands. First, I use this whistle then I warn them with this yellow…

Ambroise Bertin: ‘First we were enslaved. Then we were poisoned’

"First we were enslaved. Then we were poisoned." That's how many on Martinique see the history of their French Caribbean island that, to tourists, means sun, rum, and palm-fringed beaches. Slavery was abolished in 1848. But today…

Jalikatu: ‘I am the Sierra Leonean eye doctor who lived through the civil war’

Jalikatu is a Sierra Leonean eye doctor and one of only four in the country. Working with global charity, Sightsavers, she never could have imagined how she would reach her goal to become the eye doctor she has become today. This is her…

My battle with bipolar disorder

I was first employed by the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) in 1995 and became a deputy teacher at Rutune Secondary School for 10 years. During my tenure, I had many run-ins with the administration as we failed to agree on a lot of…

DR Congo Ebola outbreak: Child in Uganda diagnosed with virus

A five-year-old boy in Uganda has been diagnosed with Ebola, the World Health Organization (WHO) has confirmed. This is the first case confirmed in the country amid a deadly outbreak in neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo. More…

Working the night shift on Malaria’s frontline in Sierra Leone

It's night-time at Ola During Children's Hospital in Freetown, Sierra Leone and doctors Nehlama Barrie and Winstina Gbondo are on shift. Most nights here see children die of Malaria complications but a free health programme has given them a…

DR Congo Ebola deaths pass 1,000

The death toll from the Ebola epidemic in the Democratic Republic of Congo has passed 1,000, the health ministry says. DRC's Ebola outbreak began in August and is the second deadliest in history. World Health Organization deputy…

Living with HIV in Africa: Personal stories from young women

What does it mean to live with HIV and AIDS in the developing world? The Panos London Illuminating Voices have put together a collection of stories and experiences from young women in selected African countries living with HIV and AIDS.…

A new dawn for Risper Ominde

Risper Ominde is a 40-year-old wife and mother to five children. During the delivery of her sixth child, Risper experienced a difficult and prolonged labour because the baby was in an abnormal position. Although Risper received a caesarian…