Thanks for stopping by. This DFID Bloggers site is now closed and will no longer be updated regularly. However, all the blogs that appeared here will be archived if you want to look back at any of our posts. Why …
I had a moment of dizzying clarity during a visit to The Gambia last month, when policy lines revisited in briefings, meetings and documents burst back into life, regained their power and gave a renewed sense of purpose to my …
Coming back from Latvia from a conference on women and sustainable development last week, a voice welcomed us on to Ryanair. “This is your captain speaking”, she said. Familiar enough words, but less so from a woman. In the week …
I'm Joseph Pakenham and I'm the Digital Advisor at DFID. This means I'm a huge advocate of anything digital (so long as it works), especially connected to international development. I'll be blogging about my work as part of DFID's Digital …
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 …
The DFID Digital Advisory Panel is now just over a year old – and as we approach our 6th meeting we thought it was a good time to reflect on what has happened and outline some plans for possible future …
I’m not sure whether it was tempting fate on Friday the 13th, or an early Valentine’s gift to the nation, but Tanzanian President H.E Kikwete boldly launched a new national Education and Training Policy (ETP), the first for almost 20 …
Many girls’ and women’s faces in Mozambique will stay with me. But 3 of those faces had a particularly strong impact – those of Isalinha, Ana, and especially a young mother in Manica province, whose name I may never know. …
Flying into Tete in Northern Mozambique last week, I could see first-hand the evidence of Mozambique’s resource boom. Most of my fellow passengers were mining engineers or the like, heading for the Brazilian mining company Vale’s huge open-cast mine in …
“I feel more and more that I am no longer alone and that the entire world is supporting me.” – Mah Cissé A year ago, 14 communities in Bamako, Mali, declared an end to Female Genital Cutting (FGC). Mah Cissé, …
Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) is a human rights abuse. The practice seriously damages the physical and mental health of women and girls around the world, and can even cause death. When I began my African Well Woman’s Clinic at Guy’s …
