EDUCATION-AFRICA: “Change the System to Fit the Child”

Teachers in Africa need to be trained to teach pupils from multiple grades simultaneously because although this is a common form of instruction on the continent, many teachers are not educated to do this.

WORLD WATER DAY: Water Everywhere but Not a Drop to Drink

When there are water cuts in Bulawayo, the plants in 59-year-old Ntombizodwa Makati’s vegetable garden are still watered - but she and her family go thirsty.

RIGHTS-MALAWI: Full Court Trial for Gay Couple

Two men who married each other in a traditional engagement ceremony will have to undergo trial and face years of imprisonment if found guilty of having a homosexual relationship.

ZAMBIA: School Policy for Teen Mothers a Partial Success

Naomi Mulenga is determined to beat the odds by finishing her school education and becoming a nurse – despite being a teenage mother.

EDUCATION-MALAWI: Local Language Dictionary Released

The thickest book on secondary school teacher Hellen Ndalama’s desk is her indigenous language dictionary. It is also her most-used book.

SOUTHERN AFRICA: Unexpected Low Custom Revenue Causes Budget Shortfalls

Plummeting revenues from the Southern African Customs Union (SACU) could cause severe financial difficulties in the region, economic experts warn. To make matters worse, the organisation is split over the future of its tariff pool that largely bankrolls the national budgets of its poorer members.

SWAZILAND: Budget Cuts Ahead but More Money for Education and Health

Her swollen feet are a constant reminder to Sanele Matsebula that she needs to take her medication.

SOUTH AFRICA: Gender Loses Out in Basic Education Crisis

With the 15th-year review of the 1995 Beijing World Conference on Women taking place at the ongoing Commission on the Status of Women in New York, South African teachers and education experts say they fear that a special focus on the advancement of girls is getting lost amidst the growing levels of poverty in the country.

TANZANIA: Weather Changes Turn Farming into Gamble with Nature

Changes in weather patterns have turned agriculture into a gamble with nature for Tanzanian farmers. Prolonged droughts and floods have made the lives of small-scale farmers, who don’t have access to irrigation, extremely difficult.

NAMIBIA: Female Hip-Hop Artists Challenge Stereotypes

African hip-hop prides itself on a more positive portrayal of women, but traditional cultural attitudes towards women still dominate the industry, say Namibian female rappers.

HEALTH-SOUTH AFRICA: More Funds Needed for HIV Prevention and Treatment

Decreasing or levelling HIV funding will destabilise developing countries’ health systems, a group of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) warned. They demand that governments worldwide own up to their promise of achieving universal access to HIV treatment.

HEALTH-SOUTH AFRICA: Five Years to Children Born Free of HIV

A world where all children are born free of HIV infection is possible in only five years if donors continue to fund global efforts to combat the virus.

SOUTH AFRICA: Community Fears World Cup Will Cause Homelessness

While South African parliamentarians attended a swanky pre-International Women’s Day celebration at Cape Town’s International Convention Centre, a group of destitute women in decaying Kewtown, just seven miles away, worried about looming homelessness.

HEALTH-SOUTH AFRICA: Prescription Drug Abuse on the Increase

Twenty-two-year-old Sara Allen* uses prescription medication to get high.

RIGHTS-SWAZILAND: Property Rights At Last for Women

A recent court ruling has finally given Swazi women the right to own and administer property in their own names.

ZIMBABWE: Constitution in the Limelight

A new play, Waiting for Constitution has generated great interest among politicians and civil society groups anxious to get consultations over drafting a new constitution under way.

ZIMBABWE: Informal Sector Lures University Graduates

From the rickety old buses that miraculously make long cross-border journeys to the frustrating red tape at the border post, from fending off sexual advances from bus crews and customs officials to losing goods worth thousands of dollars, 28-year-old Irene Moyo has seen it all.

MALAWI: Extra Money Allocated for Drought Relief

Maize farmer Anita Yunus has lived near the Mulanje Mountain in southern Malawi for over 30 years. And she does not remember there ever being a drought in the area.

SWAZILAND: Long-distance Learning Certificate for Caregivers

Every Tuesday you will find 70-year-old Precious Dlamini under a tree, weighing children and babies from her local community as she monitors their health and nutrition.

ENERGY-SOUTHERN AFRICA: Small Is Beautiful, Say Independent Power Producers

Independent power producers argue that small hydroelectric plants have a key role to play in avoiding an energy shortfall in the Southern African region.

SOUTH AFRICA: Increase in Social Grants Will Benefit Children

South Africa’s children, the country’s most vulnerable population group, will benefit through the increase in social grants recently outlined in the national budget.