In rural Zimbabwe, women and girls are the primary water collectors. Before our team made improvements to water access and infrastructure in several villages there, this responsibility was so time-consuming that school-age girls missed 10 to 15 school days per year. Suan Kupuka, who now chairs her local water committee, describes life in her Bikita …
Until our intervention earlier this year, the 100 residents of Village 1 in Ward 24 of Bikita District had struggled with water scarcity since 1982. Every day, women, children and elderly community members in the Zimbabwean village’s 23 households labored to obtain clean water, but their only option was to endure the daily grind of …
In many parts of the world, daily access to a functioning toilet is about more than just basic hygiene. The humble toilet becomes not only, as the United Nations says, a “place for peace,” but a vital tool in improving community water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) practices. Things like a private, working toilet promote proper …
Meet Pamela Murakwani, our Nutrition Director in Zimbabwe. Where are you based? I am based in the beautiful city of Bulawayo, also popularly known as “The City of Kings (and Queens).” It’s my hometown and the second-largest city in Zimbabwe. What is your background? I’m a public health nutritionist and graduated with a Master’s degree …
Like so many recent years, 2023 was a year of challenge and heartbreak for too many communities worldwide—wars rage on, the dangerous effects of climate change are on the rise and millions of people have been displaced from their homes, facing an uncertain future. Yet with the help of our global community of generous supporters, …
Fighting Period Poverty, Climate Change and Water-borne Disease in Zimbabwe Amid a decade of economic decline in Zimbabwe due to ongoing drought and, more recently, the COVID-19 pandemic, we have delivered quality health and nutrition services to vulnerable people in food-insecure rural areas, contributed to improved nutrition and helped reduce the spread of waterborne diseases …
Responding in Libya and Morocco Our teams are on the ground providing medical relief to survivors of the Libya floods and Morocco earthquake, as well as to communities around the world affected by extreme weather and other disasters. In Libya, where more than 40,000 flood survivors have been displaced from their homes, we have three …
In many European countries and the United States, autumn/fall marks the end of summer holidays and signals the start of a new school year. While some children may not want their holidays to end, others eagerly await reuniting with their friends. But for millions of children in other parts of the world, school is a …
Every year, an estimated 300,000 women and 3 million newborns die from complications during pregnancy, childbirth or other neonatal causes. More than 90% of these deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries, and most could be prevented with the simple, low-cost care of a skilled midwife—a profession that is tragically under-represented across the world. Midwives …
Bringing Critical Drugs to Yemen Yemen is in its eighth year of grinding civil war. The conflict has caused the living conditions of civilians to deteriorate rapidly and has had devastating effects on Yemen’s healthcare system. Many hospitals lack vital medicines and other lifesaving medical supplies—including the National Oncology Center, Yemen’s largest cancer hospital, which …