Aya Chebbi is a Pan-African activist, Chair of Nala Feminist Collective, CEO of Afresist, and served as the first African Union Special Envoy of Youth. Young people may be less likely to fall severely ill from COVID-19, but in so many other ways, the pandemic has disproportionately impacted their lives. This is especially true on the African continent. The informal, low-paying labour market, where most young people work, was hit hardest by the pandemic. In Nigeria, 45% of people surveyed said...
2021 is a monumental year for the UK, as it hosts the G7, the Global Education Summit, and COP26. Historically, the UK has been an international development superpower, having been one of the most generous and largest donors. In November 2020, the UK made a strategic misstep as it cut its aid budget by 30% and reduced its ODA to GNI ratio from 0.7% to 0.5%. This dramatic cut in the aid budget during a global pandemic will have disastrous...
Megan Gieske is a storyteller and photographer based in Cape Town, South Africa. Disclaimer: This story contains accounts of gender-based violence. At just 13-years-old, Siyabonga Khusela was confronted with the reality of gender-based violence (GBV). After a fight with Siyabonga’s step-father, Siyabonga’s pregnant mother arrived at the hospital to deliver her baby. With high blood pressure and other injuries, “she passed on,” Siyabonga said. “The least that the doctors could do was to protect my baby brother.” He was just 13-years-old when he...
Nezha Ben Taleb and Laura Gobbi, two ONE Youth Ambassadors from Italy, are weighing in on the outcomes of the Global Health Summit and the critical role young people play in shaping future policies, global responses, and the world. A strong echo of hope and solidarity was launched by the Global Health Summit, hosted in Rome on May 15, under the presidency of Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi and of the EU Commission’s President Ursula von der Leyen. “We need...
We need a global roadmap to vaccinate the world — and we need it now. The scenes emerging from India are a harrowing reminder that unequal distribution of vaccines puts everyone at risk. More contagious forms of the virus are already evolving, increasing the risk of a new mutation that resists current vaccines. Global access to vaccines is the fastest way to end the pandemic, but if rich countries monopolise supply and only vaccinate themselves, twice as many people could...
Over the past year, we’ve all seen just how important it is to work together to make the world a better, more equal place. At ONE, our fight is bigger, better, and bolder than ever to face the challenges and opportunities of our time. But, creating big change requires a group effort and we’ll need you to get involved! Here are 5 things you can do to make sure we start tipping the scales: Find a cause. Start your journey as an...
Since the COVID-19 pandemic started, people have adapted to a new normal and changes to everyday life. To help you navigate this new normal, we have put together a list of resources — from ways to support your community to online classes and museums — that can help any activist looking for ways to get involved, even from their homes. Good news updates The last year has seen a lot of uncertainty, with frightening and heartbreaking moments and news. But reminders...
Congratulations to Zainab Bala and Bernadette Vivuya on winning the 2021 Michael Elliott Award for Excellence in African Storytelling! The winning entries Bala, a Nigerian broadcaster with Viewer Television, produced The Almajiri, a gripping documentary that focused on children in northern Nigeria who left their homes for Islamic education in the nation’s capital where they were neglected and abused by their religious teachers. In graphic footage, she showed how some children were restrained in chains and others were forced to beg...
Megan Gieske is a storyteller and photographer based in Cape Town, South Africa. Disclaimer: This story contains accounts of gender-based violence. Each of the girls mentioned has agreed to share their stories in the hopes of inspiring others. In Cape Town, South Africa, young girls are reclaiming their voices and their power. Their motto is “wathint’abafazi wathint’imbokodo,” which is isiXhosa for “you strike a woman, you strike a rock.” At The Justice Desk’s Mbokodo Club, young survivors of gender-based violence between the...
Having safe and effective vaccines to fight COVID-19 within a year of the first reported cases is a historic scientific achievement. But as our animated series “Pandemica” has illustrated, unless the world prioritizes fair and equal vaccine distribution, we’re at risk of prolonging the pandemic. What happens in the next six weeks will determine the trajectory of this pandemic for the next six months. This is a critical point in the pandemic, as world leaders can either turn the...