On the dirt road from Wellawaya to Buttala, there stood two little shacks in a small expanse of garden. One would often spot an elderly gentleman there dressed in a sarong and simple baniyan, writes Annemari de Silva, 27, a Correspondent in Colombo, Sri Lanka, as she tells the story of a respected community builder. …

“Honouring the legacy of a community hero” Read More »

India can rightly claim to be making continuous efforts to look after persons with disabilities, writes Vibhu Sharma, 24, a Correspondent from Delhi in India, but the issue now is to implement the laws that are on the books. In 1997, India set up a corporation to provide loans to disabled people to facilitate their economic …

“Women with disabilities can earn a living” Read More »

Education is perceived to be a tool for unlocking the world of ignorance. But as Oluwasegun Olakoyenikan, 22, a Correspondent from Benin City, Nigeria, writes, studies show no strong connection between level of education and awareness about – or support of – female genital mutilation. It was just a few years into her induction as a …

“Formal education and FGM: two parallel lines” Read More »

May 1 is marked in many countries as Labour Day, a day to celebrate and advocate for working people. Badru Walusansa, 25, a Commonwealth Correspondent from Kampala in Uganda, looks at how the need for employment must be balanced with legislation that protects and compensates labourers. Labour is an indispensable factor of production without which the production …

“Protect labourers from foreign investors” Read More »

Unhappy experience with racism prompts McPherlain Chungu, 21, a Commonwealth Correspondent from Zambia now studying in India, to reflect on the role of apathy. He argues that each individual can combat racism by speaking up and looking for ways in which we are similar rather than different. Just weeks ago, ten Nigerian students sustained severe injuries after …

“Escalating racism is a problem of apathy” Read More »

Uganda’s rural poor face multiple challenges to development, writes Munguongeyo Ivan, 24, a Correspondent from Kampala, Uganda, who argues for the need to place human rights at the centre of development policy. The rural poor in Uganda lack access to financial services, they are at the edges of communities, often isolated and have limited access …

“Let’s bring dignity back to the poor” Read More »

In Africa, feminism is a dream beyond reaching due to the oppressive nature of society, writes Kiyara Matambanadzo, 16, a Correspondent from Harare in Zimbabwe. She argues the sobering view that to be a girl in Africa is hard, to be a teenaged girl is harder, but to be a vocal feminist teenaged girl is the …

“Why gender equality is a failing concept” Read More »

Five years after a rape case that shook society in India and made headlines around the world, Shiboni D’Souza, 23, a Correspondent from Bangalore in India, looks at the changes in law and public perception that have evolved since the horrendous attack on a woman now known as “Nirbhaya”. It has been almost five years …

“Nirbhaya – progress is a work in process” Read More »

The arrest of an opposition leader made headlines around the world, but McPherlain Chungu, 22, a Commonwealth Correspondent from Zambia now studying in India, examines whether the so-called crisis is a distraction from other serious political issues. When the news broke that the leader of the main opposition, Mr. Hakainde Hichilema, was brutally arrested and …

“Political ‘crisis’ is a distraction from big issues” Read More »

Taking stock of the first few months of the new Presidency of the United States, Shannay Williams, 19, a Correspondent from St. Thomas in Jamaica, looks at how the founding values of truth and liberty are faring under an extraordinarily changed landscape. “We Hold these Truths to be Self Evident”, states one of the opening …

“Events prompt the call: God bless America” Read More »