Writing
Africa launches historic malaria vaccine rollout amid funding uncertainty
As life-saving immunisation campaigns push ahead, health leaders call for local ownership and global solidarity after US funding cuts to Gavi.
Growing waste, rising risks: Masese dumpsite threatens Jinja communities
At Masese dumpsite in Jinja, waste sustains livelihoods while quietly endangering lives. As the site exceeds its capacity, women and nearby residents face mounting health risks amid gaps in urban waste management.
Mapping the risk of deadly zoonotic disease.
Scientists analyse decades of data to map the potential of Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever in Sub-Saharan Africa
From kitchen cures to the laboratory
Thilivhali Emmanuel Tshikalange traces his journey from childhood remedies in rural Limpopo to leading research that validates traditional healers’ plant-based treatments
Building Africa’s next generation of vaccine scientists
Through virtual simulations and practical training, a Nigeria-based initiative is equipping African researchers with the skills to design, test, and manufacture the continent’s own vaccines.
I am helping to tackle Uganda’s measles outbreak
Prossy Namuwulya, a molecular scientist, is at the heart of surveillance, analysis and data sharing.
Climate Change: How recurring floods, landslides have affected Elgon Sub-region
For some time now, different parts of Uganda have been experiencing flash floods and landslides. Even when the problem is widespread, parts of Bugisu and Sebei have been the most affected
Toxic water, unequal impact: The gendered toll of industrial pollutionange: How recurring floods, landslides have affected Elgon Sub-region
In Uganda, the discharge of industrial waste into the River Nile has created a public health crisis, particularly affecting women's urogenital health. Historically overlooked, these health risks underscore significant environmental injustice and call for urgent intervention.
Can robots learn African culture?
I am trying to make robots behave respectfully in African cultural settings, a problem that many engineers rarely think about. I work in the robotics lab at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU-Africa) in Kigali, Rwanda. I grew up in a rural community in Ethiopia and did not encounter electricity until I was nine years old.
At dusk in Kenya’s caves, scientists study the hidden lives of bats
As the afternoon fades at the Three Sisters Caves in Kenya’s Kwale county, David Wechuli’s team begins setting up nearly invisible nets along the hillsides in the coastal forest. “When dusk arrives, bats begin pouring out of the caves,” Wechuli says. “Some fly straight into the nets. We quickly remove them, carefully untangling each bat before taking morphometric measurements such as body size, weight and wing length.”
How Uganda’s Youth Coffee Growers Are Planting a Greener and Stronger Future
On a warm morning in Kiggwa village, in the central Ugandan district of Mityana, 31-year-old Herbert Ssekyanzi stands next to a young coffee tree. The smell of dry maize stalks is in the air as he gently spreads mulch around the roots. Only a year ago, his garden was a mix of struggling crops, but now it shows the effort Herbert has put into improving the soil and caring for his coffee plants.
Can gene therapy transform sickle cell survival in Africa?
Long neglected in global research and funding priorities, sickle cell disease is now at the centre of a wave of gene-based innovation. Science is proving that a cure is possible. Less certain is whether those advances can reach the patients who need them most. An inherited blood disorder that causes severe anaemia, organ damage and recurrent pain crises, sickle cell disease requires lifelong management.
Diversity brings us together
At IsraAID, we have the privilege of working with and getting to know so many diverse communities. At IsraAID Uganda, recognizing and supporting diversity is a key element of our work. Within the South Sudanese refugee community in Uganda, dozens of different tribes are represented. Each one has their own cultural heritage, dance, customs, and even language.