Telling the ECSA Story

Sister and her daughter Siyapula operating her biodigester powered cooker. Deforestation in Zimbabwe continues to spread at a high rate due to the over reliance on firewood in the rural areas. Indicators attribute this to be a key factor in some of the extreme weather change patterns that have affected several parts of the country. Climate change-induced drought has been traced in the southern parts of Zimbabwe like Mwenezi where people are inevitably forced to rely on wood for both cooking and selling to earn an income. This has several negative impacts not only on the environment but also on the health and safety of women and girls.     The time-consuming responsibility of fetching firewood is assigned to girls leaving them vulnerable to abuse and at a disadvantage when it comes to studying as they have less time.   Indoor pollution from open fires exposes women and children to smoke and soot leading to respiratory diseases.   Use o f wood as a source of energy is deeply ingra

Dr Mike, Rebecca and her Son during a routine Checkup at Pariang Hospital. South Sudan has one of the weakest health systems globally, especially in terms of access to sexual and reproductive health services. Maternal and neonatal health services remain a challenge for many women, with around 70% of the population living at least five kilometers from health facilities. The country has the highest maternal mortality rates of 789 per 100,000 live births, and neonatal and under-five mortality rates of 39.3 and 99.2, per 1000 live births respectively . When 37-year-old Rebecca Nyayuol arrived at Pariang hospital in February 2021 she was filled with anxiety. She was three months pregnant, and although she looked healthy, Rebecca had already gone through the traumatic experience of miscarriage not once, but five times. “ Before coming to Pariang Hospital, I had lost five pregnancies at five months. During my fifth pregnancy, I used to feel pain in the back before losing the baby. I fel

    A mother feeding her child at the hospital bed at a health center in Bentiu. A staggering 57%, of children under 5 are estimated to be suffering from some form of illness due to lack of access to health services. As the country marks 11 years of independence on 9 th July, there is a lot to reflect on,   as the country continues to face deteriorating humanitarian conditions. These have been exacerbated by endemic violence, access constraints, public health challenges such as the effects of cholera, COVID-19, and climatic shocks from flooding and localized drought. This has had an impact on people’s way of life and hampers access to education, water, sanitation and hygiene, and health services. The humanitarian situation in South Sudan has worsened despite the relative peace and implementation of the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of Conflict in South Sudan(R-ARCSS). In 2022, the humanitarian community estimates that more than two-thirds of the South Sudanese population, 8