Archive for June 2011
Well, also to get to the other side. The challenges of building roads that spring to mind tend to be things like the topography of the area in which you’re trying to build, the density of the population, and the environmental and social challenges. But in DR Congo, a country defined as much by its [...]
Last week I left Afghanistan for good. When I said goodbye to our local staff member in Helmand he asked "will we see you again in Helmand Province?" "Probably not," I replied. After making Afghanistan my home for the last 2 years, leaving isn't easy. But as I say my goodbyes and pack my bags [...]
My arrival in Afghanistan coincided nicely with the weather warming up, but until now I didn't feel I'd seen as much of Kabul as I would have liked. My routine is more about meetings with government and partners. I finally got my chance and went to Babur Gardens, or to give it its full name, [...]
The social media room at last week's GAVI conference was quietly buzzing. People's faces were lit by the blue light of their lap top screens and, in one corner, a steady stream of influential people commented and reported into the TV cameras. I blogged three times during the four hours and tweeted crazily to get [...]
A few months ago I featured the World Links Zimbabwe Trust (WLZT) in my Bridging the Digital Divide post. It's an organisation that helps to distribute refurbished computers for use in schools. The cogs had turned slowly, but good to his word the Director, Mr. Eli Gudza had identified Shingai Primary School in Chitungwiza on [...]
Today we get to celebrate a significant milestone for global health equity. The GAVI Alliance, an organisation that helps make sure children in poor countries get the same vaccines that children in rich countries do, just met its fundraising target for the next four years. They did it despite the fact that donors everywhere are [...]
I have just returned from a week long trip to Mozambique where I followed a pentavalent vaccine – one that tackles five diseases – from the ministry of health storage unit in the city of Maputo to the arm of a young girl in a rural village of Guija district. This trip took me out [...]
Ok so I admit that’s a provocative title. But in many countries taking action on the two c-words “climate change” just isn’t a key priority. There are, perhaps, good reasons for this. A lot of countries feel there are more pressing needs to deal with rather than a distant, future problem. Take Nigeria for example. [...]
