Opening of Kariba Dam Floodgates Not Welcomed by All

Almost every rainy season the floodgates of Kariba Dam have to be opened to relieve pressure on the dam wall. But despite warnings not to live or farm on the river banks of the Zambezi River downstream of the dam, some people do so anyway and end up losing their crops.

African Smallholder Farmers Need to Become Virus Detectors

Plant viruses are threatening the livelihoods of farmers and food security by attacking vital food crops in East and Central African countries. Cassava is the staple in most of these countries and it is one of the hardest hit crops.

Zimbabwe’s Education Sector on Slow Road to Recovery

Zimbabwe's education sector, once rated amongst the best in Africa, came close to collapse during the country's economic crisis. A programme launched when the coalition government came into power in 2009 has seen the beginnings of recovery for the sector.

Kenya Not doing Enough to Educate Intellectually Disabled Children

Kenya has made efforts to increase literacy among intellectually normal children but not much is being done to ensure that intellectually handicapped children get appropriate education.

Early sex debut leads to increased teenage pregnancies in Mauritius

Mauritius, held up as an economic success story, is undergoing a lot of social change. However it seems the education system is not keeping pace with the rapid change as the number of teenage pregnancies is on the rise.

Kenyan NGO Pioneers HIV and Aids Phone Counseling

Young people find discussing HIV and Aids and sexuality difficult.In Kenya, a non-governmental organization has made it easier for them by establishing a free tele-counseling service.

Parents Find Caring for Handicapped Children a Major Challenge

Caring for mentally and physically children is difficult any where in the world. In South Africa the situation is worsened by the fact that parents with handicapped children are stigmatized and some parents believe giving birth to a handicapped children is the result of witchcraft or punishment by God.

NGO introduces ICT to schoolchildren in Cameroon

In Cameroon Information and Communication Technologies education is not universally accessible to Primary and secondary school children. A non-governmental organization called Ramsi ICT's House is filling the void by introducing school children to use computers, telephones and digital cameras.

Youth grow flowers to get money

Farming flowers in slums is becoming an option for jobless youths in cities across Cameroon. Flowers and ornamental trees are planted to decorate compounds ,roadsides, lanes and tourism sites. Aaron Kaah reports.

Snails boost food, medicine production

Starting plantation farming in Cameroon in the 1980’s, and the spraying of pesticides, almost drove certain snail species to extinction. But farmers in the coastal regions of Cameroon are now cultivating the animals for food, traditional medicine and income.

Cameroon farmers plant trees for bees

Honey producers in Cameroon are looking to restore bee habitats by planting trees in areas where deforestation have left the countryside bare.

Kenyan nurses suffer after self-diagnosis

“ … when you are stigmatized, you hide away, you are in denial, you become depressed, and you stay away in isolation. That kills us …”   Audio Slide Show

Mushroom farmers bloom in Cameroon

In the NW region of Cameroon, mushrooms are a cherished delicacy, eaten by almost every household. Yet in the markets mushroom is scarce and farmer say successful cultivation is highly profitable.

Mauritius fisherman do not want EU trawlers

Mauritian fishermen are angry about  fishing vessels from the European Union in their territorial waters. And environmentalists are concerned that over-fishing may deplete the Indian Ocean of its stocks of fish.   Audio Slide Show

Mauritius introduces new ways to collect blood

The Mauritius blood bank is introducing new ways to get the youth to give blood. The drive could also help the country reach one of its MDG goals. Audio Slide Show