Afghans forced to sell possessions on streets of Mazar-e-Sharif as fragile economy buckles under instabilityYasemeen sits in the back of an open trailer with a bundle of her family’s old clothes wrapped in scarves and some used notebooks already full o…
Beyond Kabul, a humanitarian crisis is developing in Afghanistan | Astrid Sletten
As an aid worker, I can see first-hand how a perfect storm of conflict, drought and Covid has gripped the countryIt felt surreal to be flying into Kabul international airport rather than out, crossing paths with families who were trying to flee. For th…
My Homeland: song becomes poignant anthem for fleeing Afghans
Song written in 1998 by singer who left Afghanistan during the civil war has taken on new significanceAs yet another generation of Afghans fled their homeland over the past fortnight, one song has resonated as a poignant anthem for the exodus.My Homela…
Some slept, some cried, all were now refugees: inside one of the last Afghan airlifts
Those on board the cramped military plane weren’t granted a last glimpse of their homeland before the difficult journey ahead, while all knew thousands still waited desperately belowThe American marine shouted “push!”. And hundreds of people did, shovi…
‘Swazi gold’: grandmothers in Eswatini growing cannabis to make ends meet
In the poverty-stricken kingdom, an older generation rely on growing marijuana to feed children orphaned by Aids epidemicIn Nhlangano, in the south of Eswatini (formerly Swaziland), the illegal farming of the mountainous kingdom’s famous “Swazi gold” i…
Fears grow for Afghan refugees stuck in ‘Kafkaesque’ Poland-Belarus standoff
Lukashenko accused of encouraging refugees to come to Belarus in retaliation for Brussels sanctionsAfghanistan – live updatesFears are growing for a group of Afghan refugees who fled their country last month and made their way to Europe, only to find …
Malaria trial shows ‘striking’ 70% reduction in severe illness in children
A study in Burkina Faso and Mali suggests combining anti-malarial drugs and vaccination could reduce deaths and hospitalisationsA trial combining vaccinations and prevention drugs has substantially lowered the number of children dying of malaria in two…
Fashion brands sign new deal on Bangladesh garment workers’ safety
Campaigners and union leaders praise accord, which replaces one agreed after 2013 Rana Plaza fireCampaigners have hailed a new agreement designed to protect garment workers in Bangladesh, signed by the likes of H&M and Inditex, which owns Zara and …
‘I’m one of them’: the FGM survivor providing a lifeline in Leeds
Stigma can stop women seeking help but Hawa Bah, who was cut at eight, reaches those suffering in silence to get them the care they needOne night 14 years ago, Hawa Bah crept out of her house in Guinea and slipped into the darkness. She says she had lo…
‘Don’t avert your eyes’: Afghan teachers urge world to defend girls’ education
Educators say they fear reversal of hard-won progress as aid workers call for Taliban’s desire for international legitimacy to be used as leverageAfghanistan’s only boarding school for girls has temporarily relocated to Rwanda, its co-founder has said,…