Author: Anthony Rume

By Dzifa Tetteh Tay What started as a normal day for a 14-year-old Junior High School student in the year 2020 at Bawdie near Bogoso in the Western Region ended in a devastating road crash leading to the amputation of his left leg. The budding footballer, Gideon Mends (not his real name), with an ambition to become famous like the Brazilian superstar Neymar da Silva Santos Junior, said he still felt the pain of the incident and always questioned why he was the only one who was severely injured. “We were three friends who were enjoying life riding on one…

By Catherine Nambi The introduction of safe school zones has sparked a transformative wave in road safety, significantly reducing road crashes and ensuring the safety of school-going children and pedestrians. This proactive initiative has addressed the pressing road safety issue and set a precedent for sustainable urban planning and community engagement. In the bustling streets of Kampala, where road safety has been a longstanding concern, a glimmer of hope shines through the implementation of Safe School Zones. Safe school zones involve placing school signposts, painting zebra crossings, and putting humps near schools. These designated areas surrounding schools have become a…

By Naomi William Jasseda THE Tanzam Highway is a paved international truck road that spans approximately 2400 km from Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, to Lusaka, Zambia. The route passes through the mountainous Kitonga Hills, also known as Mlima Kitonga, in the Kilolo District of the Iringa region in Tanzania’s southern highlands. The highway, known for its steep inclines and sharp curves, has unfortunately gained a reputation for road crashes, leading to fatalities and critical injuries. It features more than 21 sharp corners. The highway, built in stages from 1968 to 1973, was constructed to provide access to Zambia’s seaport and enhance transportation…

By Francis Mureithi In late 2022, 24-year-old Fauzia Ngina from the Kwa Rhonda slums in Nakuru came close to losing her life from cholera without knowing she was infected. Living with her young daughter and elderly mother in a cramped dilapidated house, Fauzia had no knowledge of cholera or its symptoms until the disease nearly claimed her life. Fauzia’s home is a small, fragile structure with cracked walls and a leaking roof, barely large enough to accommodate her family. Cooking utensils are placed right next to where they sleep, creating additional health risks.   It was in these conditions that Fauzia…

New modeling shows that 40 million more children will suffer from hunger’s worst effects by 2050 due to climate change, but immediate action could boost health and spur economic growth. By Daniel Otunge In the 2024 Goalkeepers Report released today, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation urges world leaders to increase global health spending where it is needed most to boost children’s health and nutrition, especially in the face of the global climate crisis. The Goalkeepers report, “A Race to Nourish a Warming World,” projects that without immediate global action, climate change will condemn 40 million more children to stunting…

The Gates Foundation’s eighth annual Goalkeepers report, which reveals new insights into the world’s worst child health crisis – malnutrition, was launched today. The 2024 Goalkeepers Report calls for increased investments to prioritize nutrition for a healthier future. It notes that malnutrition is the world’s worst health problem, and recent estimations have demonstrated that when a child dies, malnutrition is the underlying cause half the time. The report predicts that by 2050, climate change will condemn nearly 40 million more children to stunting and 28 million more to wasting. The Goalkeepers Report explores the simple solutions the Foundation is helping…

By Fidelis Kabunyi About 20 years ago, the administrators of a nursery school in Kiambu County were surprised when a woman brought an autistic child and dumped him there. She insisted that the teachers remain with the child for the day so that she could do some manual jobs in the neighborhood. This became a daily occurrence. Soon, more parents with special needs children followed suit. The Catholic Church’s Daughters of Charity lay group founded the nursery school to serve rural Ndeiya, Kiambu County. Sister Rhoda Mose, an administrator in the school, says they later learned that Neuro and physical…

By Fidelis Kabunyi About 20 years ago, the administrators of a nursery school in Kiambu County were surprised when a woman brought an autistic child and dumped him there. She insisted that the teachers remain with the child for the day so that she could do some manual jobs nearby. This became a daily occurrence. Soon, more parents with special needs children followed suit. The Catholic Church’s Daughters of Charity lay group founded the nursery school to serve rural Ndeiya. Sister Rhoda Mose, an administrator at the school, says they later learned that neuro and physical disabilities were rampant in…

By Emily Chebet It is a chilly and rainy morning in the capital Nairobi, Everline Alivisa must brace for the cold weather to attend dialysis, a session that nothing or no one can stop. The 38 year old mother of three is battling end-stage kidney disease after she was diagnosed with kidney failure 7years ago. She has only two options, dialysis or a kidney transplant. The trips to hospital for dialysis sessions is a routine that Everline has familiarized herself with, she must be on dialysis for four hours twice a week. Kidney disease comes with multiple challenges like swollen…

By Gift Briton There is hope in the fight against Tuberculosis (TB) following the launch of Phase 3 clinical trials of a new vaccine candidate that could prevent pulmonary TB in adolescents and adults. Bill and Melinda Gates Medical Research Institute (Gates MRI), which sponsors the clinical trial, announced the launch, noting that the Phase 3 clinical trial will assess the efficacy of the new TB vaccine candidate named M72/AS01E. “The launch of this pivotal Phase 3 trial demonstrates our commitment to harnessing the power of medical innovation to fight diseases like TB that are particularly devastating for low- and…