the Guardian • 19th January 2023

Ghana’s school on stilts: the floating village where teachers are too scared to go

In west Ghana, the village of Nzulezo perches above the dark water of Lake Tadane, backed by dense swampland. Built entirely on wooden stilts and platforms carved from raffia palms, the cluster of structures is home to more than 500 people, with two churches, a small guesthouse, a bar and primary school.

Nominated in 2000 for inclusion as a Unesco world heritage site, the village is on the bucket list of visitors to the west African country, curious about a unique way of life on the water. But

Devex • 21st July 2023

DevExplains: Why the food crisis is worse for women and girls

Globally, women play a huge role in ensuring everyone has enough to eat — with responsibility for an estimated 90% of all food purchases and preparation — yet gender inequality means that they are more vulnerable to hunger and malnutrition.

In times of crisis, it’s women who forgo the most meals. Between 2019 and 2021, the gender gap in food insecurity more than doubled from 49 million to 126 million, as the COVID-19 pandemic impacted livelihoods, income, and access to nutritious food for women

29th October 2022

To build sustainable livelihoods, there’s no one-size-fits-all approach

Approximately half the world’s population still lives on the equivalent of about $2 a day, and when global shocks occur – whether a pandemic or climate disaster – it’s marginalized communities that face the greatest challenges in rebuilding their homes and livelihoods.

In northern Uganda, for example, traditional subsistence farming is the for many households, but extreme weather, such as prolonged droughts or floods, is putting families at risk of food insecurity. Poor infrastructure also make

The New Humanitarian • 8th September 2022

Melilla and Ceuta: What’s behind the deaths at Morocco’s land border with the EU?

Early on the morning of 24 June, around 2,000 asylum seekers and migrants – many from Sudan and South Sudan – attempted en masse to cross the border fence separating the Moroccan town of Nador from Spain’s North African exclave of Melilla.

Moroccan security forces responded by firing tear gas and wielding batons. According to government accounts, 23 asylum seekers and migrants were killed. Local human rights groups say the true toll may be as high as 37. Dozens more were injured.

Months later,

Devex • 3rd December 2021

Why marginalized voices are critical for resilient WASH services

Around the world, extreme and unpredictable weather events as a result of climate change are making it harder for rural communities to access safe, clean water — and it’s often women and people with disabilities who bear the greatest burden.

In southern Indonesia and Timor-Leste, for example, heavy rainfall means water collection points in ravines become inaccessible for people with disabilities as well as elderly people or pregnant people. Then come the dry spells and droughts, forcing communi

Devex • 25th June 2021

Taking the stigma out of mental health services

While the COVID-19 pandemic has prompted more conversations around mental health, it’s a topic that remains widely misunderstood and highly stigmatized. This can make individuals reluctant to seek out support and create challenges for those delivering mental health services, with some even facing physical risks.

Like all health programs, buy-in from local leaders and context-appropriate sensitization activities are critical in getting communities on board, but additional considerations around l

Devex • 1st February 2021

In Greece, NGOs turn to games and play to treat refugee children's trauma

When children arrive at refugee camps in Greece — having fled difficult conditions and experienced trauma en route to Europe — many are already suffering mental health problems.

Once they arrive, abject living conditions in the camps can exacerbate that, triggering worrying behaviors, experts on the ground told Devex. An alarming number of children in the camps are expressing suicidal ideations or regressing as a result of their deteriorating mental health, they said.

In a country where there

8th December 2020

The psychologists aboard Sicily's refugee ships

Since April, thousands of people on the move have passed through the commercial ships docked at Palermo on the Italian island of Sicily. The national authorities have repurposed these four ships — each one able to hold up to 700 people at a time — as quarantine centers for the newly arrived. Some have spent years making the arduous journey from sub-Saharan Africa to reach the Italian coast; others have come from Iraq, Iran, Bangladesh, and Pakistan.

Devex • 27th October 2020

Liberia mental health services 'overloaded' after lockdown, MSF says

Emma Smith is a Reporter at Devex. She covers all things related to careers and hiring in the global development community as well as mental health within the sector — from tips on supporting humanitarian staff to designing mental health programs for refugees. Emma has reported from key development hubs in Europe and co-produced Devex’s DevProWomen2030 podcast series. She holds a degree in journalism from Glasgow Caledonian University and a master's in media and international conflict. In additi

Devex • 20th October 2020

The pandemic takes its toll on women and girls' mental health

Emma Smith is a Reporter at Devex. She covers all things related to careers and hiring in the global development community as well as mental health within the sector — from tips on supporting humanitarian staff to designing mental health programs for refugees. Emma has reported from key development hubs in Europe and co-produced Devex’s DevProWomen2030 podcast series. She holds a degree in journalism from Glasgow Caledonian University and a master's in media and international conflict. In additi

Devex • 21st September 2020

NGOs accused of hiding misconduct behind gag orders

BARCELONA — Whistleblowers are raising concerns about the use of nondisclosure agreements within the global development and humanitarian sector, with some suggesting they are being used to suppress allegations of misconduct.

Also known as confidentiality or gag clauses, experts say they are becoming more common in employment contracts with development organizations, and are also sometimes used in termination settlements.

However, the secretive nature of such agreements — which prevents signato

Devex • 14th August 2020

Dramatic rise in Kenya early pregnancies amid school closures, IRC data suggests

BARCELONA — The number of teenage pregnancies has increased dramatically in regions of northern Kenya as a result of recent school closures and lockdowns, according to new data from the International Rescue Committee.

In Turkana County, 558 adolescent pregnancies were reported between March and June — almost a threefold increase from the same period last year, the organization said.

The data, sent to Devex but not yet publicly available, is some of the first hard evidence that measures to slow