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| Photo by Ivan Samkov on Pexels |
by Adetayo Adetokun
World Health Day is celebrated every year on April 7, and this year's theme is "Health for All." This theme emphasizes the need for universal health coverage, which ensures that everyone, regardless of their socio-economic status, can access quality healthcare services. One of the ways to achieve this is by integrating more funding for primary healthcare centres in Africa by African governments.
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| Photo by Thirdman on Pexels |
By Adetayo Adetokun
Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) has been one of the most feared and deadly viruses since its discovery in the 1980s. Despite significant progress in treatment options, HIV continues to pose a significant public health challenge globally, with millions of people infected and affected by the disease. The development of an effective HIV vaccine has been a critical priority for researchers, health professionals, and governments globally. In this blog post, we will explore the current state of HIV vaccine research, the challenges, the latest innovations, and the hope for a vaccine.
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| Image: SHVETS Production on Pexels |
By Adetayo Adetokun
Power outages are a major challenge faced by many African countries, with limited access to electricity being a significant barrier to development and progress. According to the World Bank, over 600 million people in Africa do not have access to electricity, making up nearly two-thirds of the population on the continent. Furthermore, frequent power outages are a common occurrence, with some areas experiencing blackouts for several hours every day.
Photo by Klaus Nielsen
by Safiyah Salawu Ibrahim
On October 27, 2022, Shades of Us Storytelling Initiative for African People (Shades of Us) attended the Love Your Lemons Webinar, an event organised by the Medicaid Foundation in Abuja during a week-long event geared towards raising breast cancer awareness. The goal was to raise awareness about breast cancer and to encourage women across all age groups to have regular visits to the hospital because early detection of cancer is vital to its management.
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| Photo by cottonbro studio on Pexels |
by Adetayo Adetokun
Black women in tennis have faced significant obstacles due to both racism and sexism throughout the history of the sport. Despite these challenges, black women have consistently demonstrated remarkable resilience and determination to succeed at the highest levels of the sport.
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| Photo by Clement Eastwood on Pexels |
Makoko is a sprawling informal settlement located in Lagos State, Nigeria. It is one of the largest slum communities in West Africa, with an estimated population of over 300,000 people. Makoko has often been neglected by the government and faces numerous challenges daily.
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| Photo by Charles Eugene on Unsplash |
by Adetayo Adetokun
Africa is a continent with diverse cultures and a rich heritage, but it also faces many challenges that hinder its progress and development. One such challenge is the issue of power outages, which affects many African countries and disrupts essential services such as hospitals, schools, and businesses. Among these essential services, hospitals are particularly vulnerable to power outages, and the impact of these can be especially severe on neonatal health.
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| Shades of Us at the Walk and Run Against Cancer Event Hosted by Women in ICT to Commemorate World Cancer Day |
Cancer is a group of diseases characterised by the uncontrolled growth and spread of abnormal cells. There are many different types of cancer, each with its own unique causes, symptoms, and treatments. Women suffer various types of cancer.
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| Angela Ochu-Baiye, CEO of Jela's Development Initiatives Addressing Guests During the J Blood Match |
Jela’s Development Initiatives (JDI) launched the J Blood Match App, an artificial intelligence application that connects voluntary blood donors to recipients using their blood type and location, on February 9, 2023.
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| Photo by Nick Owuor (astro.nic.visuals) on Unsplash |
by Adetayo Adetokun
African feminists are individuals and organizations working towards the advancement of women's rights and equality in Africa. They work to challenge traditional gender roles and societal attitudes that perpetuate the notion of women's inferiority and promote laws and policies that protect and empower women. African feminists also advocate for access to education, healthcare, and other essential services for women, and women's participation in political and economic decision-making processes.
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| Photo by RF._.studio on Pexels |
by Adetayo Adetokun
The International Day of Women and Girls in Science celebrated on February 11 each year, is an opportunity to acknowledge and celebrate the critical role women and girls play in scientific fields and promote their full and equal access to, and participation in, science. While there has been some progress in recent years, the representation of women and girls in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) remains disproportionately low. According to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Science Report 2021, one in three researchers in science globally is a woman. In sub-Saharan Africa, between a mere 18 to 31 percent of science researchers are women, compared to 49 percent in Southeast Europe and the Caribbean; 44 percent in Central Asia and Latin America; and 37 percent in the Middle Eastern States.
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| Photo by Dick Scholten on Pexels |
by Grace Anaja
Child marriage is a plague that affects millions of girls all around the world. The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) describes child marriage as 'any formal marriage or informal union between a child under the age of 18 and an adult or another child.' In countries like Niger, Nigeria, and Central African Republic, 36% of girls are married before age 18, and 10% are married before age 15. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights also states that marriage must be entered by individuals who are fully consenting and at full age.
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| Book Chat with Isa Umar Tela |
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| Cynthia Umeh, our Audio and Video Editor, at the Walk4Education event in Abuja, Nigeria |
by Cynthia Umeh
Another fun-filled event!
Shades of Us Storytelling Initiative for African People ('Shades of Us') was invited for Walk4Education, a fitness and advocacy walk organized by FlexiSAF Foundation to commemorate World Human Rights Day on December 10, 2022, at the International Conference Center. Nothing was better than exercising while advocating for the rights of out-of-school children and wrapping up the 16 days of activism against gender-based violence campaign, which began on November 25, 2022.
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| Photo by Tima Miroshnichenko on Pexels |
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| Group photo after the second-panel session at the Future of Health Conference in Abuja. Image Credit: Nigeria Health Watch |
by Adetayo Adetokun
The Future of Health Conference is an annual conference hosted by Nigeria Health Watch. The conference aims to provide a visible platform for critical stakeholders in healthcare, finance, politics, and other allied sectors to discuss the factors that influence Nigeria’s health policies; how political, social, and economic factors shape individual and population health outcomes; health service development within the economic and political context; and how to create a national health service that meets the needs of all Nigerians.
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| General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director, World Health Organization |
by Adetayo Adetokun
We attended the World Health Summit from October 16 - 18, 2022, and had insightful takeaways, especially from the sessions curated for African healthcare and food systems.
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| Photo by Charlotte May on Pexels |
by Grace Anaja
Rape for grades is a well-known phenomenon. It involves dangling academic grades in exchange for sexual favors. Even if one party – in this case, the students – consents to trade sexual favors for improved grades, the power dynamics between the school’s employee and the student means that one cannot consent without the niggling fear that their refusal may mean failure. Thus, it is considered rape.
We attended the RedCard2Sextortion Campaign launch and panel discussion organized by Devatop Centre for Africa Development and supported by the United States Embassy in Nigeria on December 9, 2022, at the Raw Materials and Research and Development Council, Abuja. The discussions aimed to highlight and address sexual violence to commemorate the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence (GBV).
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| Photo by Eye for Ebony on Unsplash |
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| Photo by Vojtech Okenka |
Job Title: Volunteer Graphics Designer – Shades of Us
Location: Abuja (Hybrid – 75% Remote)
Employment Type: Short Term
Duration: Six Months
Openings: 1
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| Photo by Thirdman on Pexel. |
By Eneojo Innocent
Men and boys can be great allies in the race to stop
gender-based violence. Ending the menace that is gender-based violence is a
global priority and requires a collective effort.
Here are 10 ways men and boys can fight gender-based
violence.
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| Photo by RODNAE Productions |
Location: Abuja (Hybrid - 75% Remote)
Employment Type: Short Term
Duration: 2 Weeks
Openings: 1
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| Photo by Askar Abayev |
For all the Shades of Us,
Tones of black,
Hues of white,
And all that holds in between,
Moving strong in harmony.
Undefeated!
We are Elephants!
