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West Africa

Maternal Health Is A Social Issue, Too

Molly Melching | Posted 06.05.2013 | Impact
Molly Melching

In Senegal and throughout West Africa, deeply-rooted social norms are meant to protect and support a woman and her child throughout her pregnancy and after the birth. Unfortunately, these beliefs can also put the mother and child's health at risk.

'Britain's Obama' Urges Ties With West Africa

AP | ROBBIE COREY-BOULET | Posted 05.19.2013 | Black Voices

ACCRA, Ghana — A rising star in Britain's Labour Party, described by some as the "British Barack Obama," Chuka Umunna urged the United Kingdom t...

How the Changing Marketplace of Food and Supplies is Saving Lives

Caryl M. Stern | Posted 05.18.2013 | Impact
Caryl M. Stern

This year, hundreds of thousands of children lived because of this change in the global market. And because of UNICEF's volume purchasing, prices for therapeutic food dropped by nearly 10 percent -- math that equates to more children saved.

Cardboard Hearts Full of West African Chocolate and Western Guilt

Kelsey Timmerman | Posted 04.16.2013 | Impact
Kelsey Timmerman

If we really want to end child labor and slavery in the West African cocoa industry, paying farmers half of a penny more per bar would go a long way in doing that.

Mali Crisis: Life on the Edge of a War Zone

Catholic Relief Services | Posted 04.09.2013 | Impact
Catholic Relief Services

View image By Helen Blakesley It's not every day you're sent to a war zone. Well, maybe I'm exaggerating a little. I'm not behind the lines where th...

Mali -- With Every Threat There's an Opportunity

Michael Kay | Posted 03.27.2013 | World
Michael Kay

Mali offers a perfect convergence of conditions that enables al Qaeda to fund, train and prosecute terrorist operations -- but it also offers the West an opportunity to apply a more efficient and less divisive approach in tackling the global war on terror.

PHOTOS: An African Vodoun Festival Mixes Mysticism And History

AP | By JON GAMBRELL | Posted 03.13.2013 | Religion

OUIDAH, Benin -- The deified residents of the Temple of Pythons, when released to find food, sometimes slither across the road into a Catholic church ...

Teacher Afterglow: The Residual Joy Brought on by Students Who Find Their Sparkle

Erin Michelle Threlfall | Posted 02.12.2013 | Impact
Erin Michelle Threlfall

Every once in a blue moon, I have an experience with my students that reminds me of how lucky I am to be a teacher -- how magical my profession is. Yesterday was a blue moon day.

Quick Fixes in Life and Politics

Paul Stoller | Posted 01.04.2013 | Politics
Paul Stoller

In the face of serious social and economic problems, life is patience, and President Obama has the intelligence and foresight to meet the challenges of the future. A vote for him on November 6 moves us away from the past and propels us toward the future.

Will the Rest of Africa Be the Next Phase of the "Arab" Awakening?

Daniel Wagner | Posted 12.23.2012 | World
Daniel Wagner

Why then have the populations of SSA's poorest and most repressed states failed to rise up against their rulers? One reason is that they undoubtedly see the instability and chaos that can result.

From Here to Timbuktu - The Story of Mali's Descent Into Disaster

Evelyn Leopold | Posted 12.09.2012 | World
Evelyn Leopold

Timbuktu conjures up images of remote parts of the earth and fabled ancient monuments. Now radical Islamic groups, with ties to al Qaeda, have taken over the north in Mali, destroying monuments and torturing civilians in a brutal interpretation of Sharia law.

Spring in the Desert: Crisis in Mali

Monica Gutierrez | Posted 10.02.2012 | World
Monica Gutierrez

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African Artists Unite On Sahel Food Crisis

Louis Belanger | Posted 10.09.2012 | World
Louis Belanger

More than 18 million people across West and Central Africa are facing a food crisis. This is a fact. 18 million people are hungry and, along with ai...

Soccer: An Advocacy Tool for Malians with Disabilities

Caleb Dembélé | Posted 09.29.2012 | Impact
Caleb Dembélé

By capitalizing on the universal appeal and excitement that sports can bring, people with disabilities in Mali were able to transform themselves from dependent and voiceless individuals into advocates for themselves and their communities.

The Drug War Has Now Spread To Africa. Here's Why.

Ryan Grim | Posted 09.21.2012 | Politics
Ryan Grim

The very fact that Western Africa has become a significant stop on the global trade route is evidence in itself of the failure of the drug war, a failure that won't be straightened out by doubling down on the same strategy. Indeed, drug traffickers are in Africa as a direct result of U.S. pressure on trading routes first in the Caribbean, and then in South and Central America. It began with a decision in the late 1970s, taken by President Jimmy Carter, to militarize drug policy on the Mexican border, and was expanded first by Reagan, and then by ever president to follow him.

Destination: Dogon Country, Mali, West Africa

Teri Johnson | Posted 08.18.2012 | Black Voices
Teri Johnson

After my visit in Niogono, I arrived in the Dogon village of Sangha. Upon my arrival, I learned the traditional way that people greet each time pass they pass one another. The eldest begins the greeting.

The Sahara Is Lost

Ben Barber | Posted 09.04.2012 | World
Ben Barber

After 14 centuries, Islamist Arabs have once more conquered the Berbers of North Africa. The Sahara is lost again.

Ignoring Children's Long-term Needs During Disasters Prolongs Their Effects

Anne Goddard | Posted 09.04.2012 | Impact
Anne Goddard

Beyond helping the victims survive the crisis healthy and intact, we must help these countries preserve and sustain the gains they have made over many years. And just as importantly, we must ensure that the children of these nations do not bear abiding, irreversible burdens.

Rooting For The Survival Of A 2-Year-Old Boy

World Vision | Posted 08.19.2012 | Impact
World Vision

The moment that brought us all to laughs, clapping, and even near to tears came from one little wail from a tiny two-year-old. Moments before, he was all but motionless in his mother's arms, only reacting with shrieks as the nurse at the child nutrition clinic tried to weigh him.

Birthing Justice: The Link to Humanity -- Gift Economies

Beverly Bell | Posted 06.23.2012 | World
Beverly Bell

West African gifting is based on the interrelated values that all humanity is linked and that one's well-being is only as strong as that of one's neighbor. Profit and exchange are trumped by a commitment to care for community.

Upheaval in West Africa: Could Nigeria Be Next?

Daniel Wagner | Posted 06.23.2012 | World
Daniel Wagner

Preventing BH from exploiting sectarian tension is therefore paramount, but shoring up the support of northern political figures while driving through a reformist agenda will be no easy task.

PHOTOS: Thank You Somali Pirates For This Fascinating Vacation

Lindblad Expeditions | Posted 06.23.2012 | Travel
Lindblad Expeditions

Recently, 148 accomplished travelers aboard National Geographic Explorer found themselves in the historic position of being the largest group of tourists to dock in the Freeport of Monrovia, Liberia since the 1970s.

My Journey Of Discovery In Ghana With Malaria No More UK

Aloe Blacc | Posted 04.19.2012 | Home
Aloe Blacc

Until a few weeks ago the thought of getting malaria had never crossed my mind as I'm fortunate to live in a US city where malaria is not a problem. Even when I travel to tropical areas like my parents' home country of Panama where mosquitoes eat me alive, I'm not worried as malaria is no longer present in that part of the country. This is a stark contrast to my recent trip with Malaria No More UK to Ghana, West Africa, where malaria affects the entire population of 24 million people and is a leading cause of death amongst young children. The charity has released a short film today about my trip - I went to learn as much as I could about malaria and the work happening to make sure every home in the country has a mosquito net by the end of this year.

The Need to Protect Democracy in Mali

Morton H. Halperin | Posted 06.02.2012 | World
Morton H. Halperin

The international community must do everything in its power to reverse the coup d'état in Mali for the sake of the Malian people, for the future of democracy in West Africa and to strengthen the global norm against recognizing governments arising from military coups against democratic regimes.

Drought in Sahel Could Become a Catastrophe for 13 Million

Louis Belanger | Posted 05.08.2012 | World
Louis Belanger

Some 13 million people are at severe risk from a food crisis which is set to escalate into a full scale humanitarian emergency in the Sahel region of West and Central Africa if urgent action is not taken.