Climate change is making extreme weather events like droughts and floods happen more often and with greater force. This is a big problem, especially in Africa. Africa is super vulnerable to these changes. It's also where a lot of the world's young children die. This is why scientists have been l
In the heart of South Africa, smart technologies come to the rescue in assisting those dealing with anxiety and depression. There are many challenges that stop people in getting the help they need. Hurdles are numerous, especially those who live outside urban areas. Accessing mental h
What is happening in the town of Garankuwa, South Africa has been overlooked. How far have we come in understanding the lurking of femicides, gender-based murders, sitting quietly receiving no attention? An important part of understanding comes from trying
Free education is a hot topic in South Africa. Everyone's talking about the benefits, but what about the challenges? It's not just about the money. Think about the politics and the society too. A lot of people think free education means just waving tuition fees. But, it's more complicated
Machine learning is stepping up to help predict COVID-19 cases, especially in regions where data can be a bit iffy. You see, the COVID-19 pandemic hit hard in 2019, causing a lot of sickness and even death. One big problem was getting accurate numbers on how many people were actually sick, especiall
River blindness, also known as onchocerciasis, is a major health concern in Africa. The World Health Organization (WHO) has set a target to eliminate this neglected tropical disease (NTD) by 2030. More than 99% of people infected live in 31 countries across sub-Saharan Africa. The goal here is to ex
Even though maternal deaths dropped during the Millennium Development Goals, they're still too high. Shocks like COVID-19 could slow down progress. In Africa, many women get antenatal care and give birth in health facilities. But cities face unique challenges in ensuring fair, quality care for pregn
You might think that when over 200 miners were trapped in an abandoned gold mine in South Africa, the authorities would jump in to help. But that's not what happened. The standoff lasted months, ending with the death of 87 miners. Authorities, instead of aiding the trapped miners, tried to force the
Imagine being trapped deep underground, with no food or water, and no way out. This is the grim reality faced by unknown numbers of illegal miners at a closed gold mine in Stilfontein, about 90 miles from Johannesburg. South African authorities began recovering bodies earlier this week, with 60 alre
Imagine being trapped more than 2 kilometers underground with no hope in sight. This is the harsh reality for hundreds of miners in South Africa's Buffelsfontein Gold Mine. They've been there for months, many fearing starvation or dehydration. Why? Because the mine was closed years ago, but these mi
