Kenyan schoolchildren in grades four, eight and 12 returned to class on Monday, ending a months-long closure of all educational institutions in the country designed to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus. Many nations have grappled with how to reopen schools safely amid the pandemic, but in Kenya, where public and private schools were

Fresh out of university, Oluwaseun Ayodeji Osowobi was living in the southern Nigerian state of Rivers when she was sexually assaulted. A housemate comforted her and urged her to report the attack.   “So, I went to the police station and it was a terrible experience,” Osowobi recalled.   But, encouraged by her mother, she

As the United Nations on Sunday marks International Day of the Girl Child, a Somali mother and daughter who have dedicated their lives to rehabilitating victims of conflict are gaining international acclaim.   Fartuun Adan and her daughter Ilwad Elman operate Elman Peace, an organization that helps victims of sexual violence and works to rehabilitate

The world marks the International Day of the Girl Child on Sunday, during a year in which a global pandemic and subsequent economic downturn has created further challenges for girls. The United Nations, which created the day in 2011 to promote girls’ rights, says difficulties already faced by girls have been exacerbated by the coronavirus

Chileans took to the streets of the capital, Santiago, for a third consecutive Friday, demonstrating against the government, inequality and police brutality as a postponed referendum on constitutional changes nears. Protesters threw rocks at police, who responded with water cannons and tear gas. A few hundred people gathered in the city’s iconic Plaza Italia, a

Kidnapped Malian politician Soumaila Cisse, French aid worker Sophie Petronin and two Italians were freed Thursday, Mali’s presidency said, after lengthy periods in the hands of Islamist insurgents. Their release follows a tense few days, as reports that the Malian authorities had freed scores of suspected militants over the weekend fueled expectations of an imminent

Africa’s response to COVID-19 has gained global recognition for its fast and targeted action. The Africa Centres for Disease Control has helped direct the continent’s 54 countries into an alliance praised for responding better than some richer countries, including the United States. Africa has registered 37,000 deaths since the first case was announced, compared to

A growing Islamist insurgency in northern Mozambique entered its fourth year this week, with experts saying there is no end in sight for a conflict that has killed and displaced thousands of people. Since the first attack in 2017 by al-Shabab in the province of Cabo Delgado, militants have taken control of territory in the