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A Queen with a plan: She is bringing girls back to class

A Queen with a plan: She is bringing girls back to class

NOKUKHANYA MUSI–AIMIENOHO, BIRD STORY AGENCY WHEN 16-year-old Nomalungelo* (not her real name) lost her only surviving parent to COVID-19, she dropped out of school to fend for her younger siblings. "I had to wake up as early as 5 am and leave the informal settlement to look for work. On some days, I'd be lucky and make E50 (US$3) from reselling the scrap metal I found from the dumpsite, but on normal days, I'd make E30 (US$1.50)." She also hints at experiencing sexual abuse by men who expected payment 'in kind' for any help they rendered her. Nomalungelo tells us…
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Cameroon police tear gas residents

Cameroon police tear gas residents

POLICE in Cameroon fired tear gas yesterday as they clashed with residents fighting eviction from a neighbourhood adjacent to Newton Airport in the country's economic capital Douala. An official said inhabitants of the informal settlement, known locally as Fret Aeroport, were illegally occupying government land and that they would not be compensated. Some residents, many of whom have lived next to the airport for decades despite repeated attempts by the authorities to move them, said they were given less than two days to move out. "This is airport land, the airport has its land title here, and these populations have…
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Durban’s climate goals are bold – but its poor feel left behind

Durban’s climate goals are bold – but its poor feel left behind

KIM HARRISBERG AFTER heavy rains swept away Nomandla Nqanula's tin shack two years ago, she would pray every time she saw clouds gathering above her Quarry Road informal settlement in Durban. But these days, a WhatsApp group on her smartphone pings with early flood warnings for residents, and another city-designed app reminds her and 14 other residents to monitor flood risks and river pollution near her home. "When I wake up, I feel I have lots of work to do, to protect the river and also protect the people who live here," said the 33-year-old mother, standing outside her shack…
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How Prince Philip changed lives of Africans, Asians

How Prince Philip changed lives of Africans, Asians

KENYAN Pastor Robert Olunga counts himself as one of the lucky ones. Growing up in an informal settlement in Nairobi, Olunga says he could easily have ended up like many other jobless young men - trapped in poverty with no opportunities to better his life. "In the slums, you feel that you don't deserve to dream. But when you are given exposure, it changes your outlook and you realise it's okay to want more," said Olunga, 34, who leads a congregation of about 400 people at a local evangelical church. "The Duke of Edinburgh awards gave me that exposure. It…
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