The twin islands of Trinidad and Tobago are surrounded by water. But for some residents, sometimes there is not even a single drop to drink. Curmira Gulston, a 2019 Commonwealth Youth Awards finalist, started Learn and Flow to encourage communities to take ownership of rivers and watersheds. Commonwealth Correspondent Ashlee Burnett, 21, from Couva, Trinidad …
Goodbye kerosene lamps and candles, hello solar-powered lanterns. Communities in Rwanda are lighting up with cheap, clean energy sources, thanks to people like Alice Mukashyaka. Promise Forsuh, a 22-year-old Commonwealth Correspondent from Bamenda, Cameroon, spoke to the 2019 Commonwealth Youth Awards finalist about her bright initiative. Alice Mukashyaka and Ariane Umuringa started their company, Starlight, in …
Africa is often depicted as a needy “dark continent” characterised by primeval irrationality, tribal anarchy, civil war, political instability, flagrant corruption, incompetent leadership, famine and starvation, and rampant disease, writes Lonjezo Idrissa, a 22-year-old Commonwealth Correspondent from Zomba, Malawi. How could a Hollywood blockbuster help change these negative stereotypes? Since most people in the United …
Black Panther: Shattering negative stereotypes about Africa Read More »
Carrying home products in neatly packed plastic bags is both practical and pleasing. But our obsession with plastics is wreaking havoc on the environment, particularly our oceans, writes 26-year-old Ahmed Umer Sohaib from Lahore, Pakistan. But what is the true cost of our convenience? Shoppers everywhere in the world have at one time or other …
A campaigner against gender-based violence, an inventor of life-saving medical devices and the boss of a pioneering recycling company, were among the recipients of the Commonwealth’s Innovation for Sustainable Development Awards. Fifteen winners were selected by an independent jury, based on the impact or potential of their innovations to advance one or more of the …
Future Leaders is a thriving youth organization that offers study, service and mentorship opportunities to young people in Bermuda. Shannay Williams, 20, a Commonwealth Correspondent from St. Thomas, Jamaica spoke to founder Ryan Robinson Perinchief. The 22-year-old law student at the University of Durham was a finalist in the 2019 Commonwealth Youth Awards. What inspired …
Three major challenges affect the lives of ordinary Nigerians – insecurity, unemployment and poverty – writes Belema Ekine, a 28-year-old Commonwealth Correspondent from Rivers State in Nigeria. But are the country’s public policies addressing these? Overcoming a lot of challenges in Nigeria requires strong successful public policies developed from progressive ideas. These ideas serve as …
Public policies: Sustaining or diminishing development? Read More »
We’re standing on a precipice, a few feet away from diminishing returns due to decades of unsustainable tourism management writes 27-year-old Commonwealth Correspondent Renice Medford from Christ Church, Barbados. Yet, right in front of us is a huge opportunity for tourism profit. Do we go ahead and invest, or take two steps back to find …
Vaccines have saved many lives and mark an important milestone in early childhood healthcare. But in a new trend, more people are refusing to get vaccinated, despite the wide availability of vaccines, writes Commonwealth Correspondent Omer Fayshal Pavel, 25, from Dhaka, Bangladesh. Vaccines appeared as early as the year 1000, but it was only hundreds …
Akwaaba! Ghana is rolling out the red carpet for the descendants of slaves and Africans in the diaspora to mark the 400th anniversary of the arrival of West African slaves to the USA. Many of their ancestors may have been taken away in chains against their will. But their descendants are returning voluntarily to connect …