Globally people’s health is improving but there is still much to be done as the poorest people in the poorest countries suffer the most from ill health. We are working with governments and healthcare organisations to improve healthcare systems and access to services.
Three years ago, recognising widespread human rights discrimination and violence against girls, the United Nations (UN) made a promise to observe the International Day of the Girl Child on 11 October, and the theme this year is the power of …
An astonishing transformation is taking place that has until now been absent from mainstream development thinking: global ageing. Its absence is even more surprising as the evidence makes clear that demographic changes are affecting developing countries the most. Currently about …
In 2008, Nigeria accounted for 25% of the global burden of malaria. 219,000 children under the age of 5 died from the disease. Describing the effort that was needed to defeat malaria, the UN’s Secretary General’s Special Envoy for Financing …
I have recently come back from three months in Sierra Leone where I was working with DFID and the Ministry of Education to support children re-enrolling back into school safely after Ebola. Ebola had a devastating effect on the country, …
The practice of female genital mutilation (FGM) in Sierra Leone is shrouded in great secrecy and mysticism. It usually takes the form of removal of the clitoris, sometimes using razor blades, penknives and even broken glass. It is at the …
In advance of World TB Day, a global clinical trial has begun to test a new regimen for tuberculosis (TB), which shows particular promise for improving treatment of multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB). The trial will be conducted at 50 sites in …
World Water Day often carries a simple message, and this year is no different. The message “humanity needs water” is clear but in its simplicity hides the complexity and urgency of what needs to be done to ensure a water …
We often associate FGM with the harmful physical effects suffered by more than 125 million women worldwide. There is much less awareness about the psychological effects that can haunt a woman throughout her lifetime. I know from experience that sometimes …
Yesterday I returned to a hospital where I worked many years ago. I used to gaze across the Thames from the window at St Thomas’ to the Houses of Parliament, not knowing they would have much direct relevance to me. …
When I was travelling in Kenya recently, I had a graphic reminder that gender-based violence and HIV is right there in front of us in many African countries; we just don’t all notice it all the time. I went through …
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