Global Voices
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Ugandan activists make the case for ecofeminism
In this edition of Undertones, we explore a narrative calling for women to play a central role in climate-related decision-making in Uganda.
๐ ๊ตญ์ ๊ธฐ๊ตฌ ยท "NARRATIVE" ยท ์ด 5๊ฑด
ํํฐ ๋ณด๊ธฐํ์ฌ ์ง์
50.0
0 = ๋ถ์ ์ฐ์ธ
50 = ์ค๋ฆฝ
100 = ๊ธ์ ์ฐ์ธ
์ต๊ทผ 7์ผ ๊ธฐ์ค 5,975๊ฑด์ ๋ถ์ํ ๊ฒฐ๊ณผ, ๋ด์ค ์ฌ๋ฆฌ์ง์๋ 50.0(๊ท ํ)์ ๋๋ค. ๊ธ์ 0๊ฑด(0.0%)ยท์ค๋ฆฝ 5,975๊ฑด(100.0%)ยท๋ถ์ 0๊ฑด(0.0%)์ด๋ฉฐ, ์ค๋ฆฝ ๋น์ค์ด ๋๋ ทํ๊ฒ ๋์ต๋๋ค. ์ฑํฅ ์ง์๋ ์ข ํฉ 0.0(์ค๋ ๊ท ํ)์ ๋๋ค.
In this edition of Undertones, we explore a narrative calling for women to play a central role in climate-related decision-making in Uganda.
Countries: Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Somalia Source: ELRHA In the first blog introducing this series, Adrienne Testa, from the UK Humanitarian Innovation Hub and Elrha discussed how fundamental it is to measure excess mortality if response actors want to understand the severity of a humanitarian crisis and guide aid prioritisation. In our second blog we focus on the work of a consortium led by IMPACT Initiatives. This consortium is drawing attention to the roles that national and local actors play in mortality data collection and use by decision-makers and what is needed to design more localised mortality estimation systems in humanitarian contexts. The structural barriers we need to talk about Many of the challenges for local and national actors to collect mortality data and inform responses are well known, but poorly documented. They have fewer opportunities for technical training; face inequitable access to financial resources for activities; and structural barriers limit their representation in coordination forums where decision-making occurs about whether mortality data should be collected, who collects it, and what findings can mean. Meanwhile, international actors frequently have a seat at the table, and therefore control the narrative, deciding what data matters and how it will shape response priorities. Yet, local and national actors โ including non-governmental organisations (NGOs), universities, and public health institutes โ are often ideally placed to collect mortality estimates and inform response decisions. They have established connections and access to affected communities and contextual understanding of how to appropriately and effectively operate. They understand political sensitivities and how to navigate these so that mortality estimation findings will carry legitimacy with key stakeholders and decision-makers. Crucially, locally-led mortality estimation initiatives challenge long-standing power imbalances associated with colonial, top-down approaches to humanitarian assistance. Recognising this, three partners in our consortium, Evidence for Change, London School of Tropical Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and SIMAD University, were funded by the Humanitarian Innovation Hub in 2024-25 to imagine what an ideal mechanism might look like to systematically trigger mortality data collection for accountable decision-making in crises. Consultation with global humanitarian stakeholders confirmed: If we want better mortality data, we must widen the pool of people able to generate it. This starts with investing in and strengthening the capacities of local actors. Funding local actorsโ priorities and strengthening capacities With follow-on funding from UKHIH-Elrha in 2025-26, our consortium expanded. We teamed up with IMPACT Initiatives along with their partners at Addis Ababa and Mekelle Universities in Ethiopia and World Needs and Help, an NGO in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Together, weโre working to better understand real-world opportunities and obstacles faced by national actors when implementing mortality estimation activities. Our goal is to use this evidence to strengthen advocacy for approaches that support and prioritise local actors in this vital work. Rather than imposing a predefined research plan, each national partner has selected, tailored and implemented a mortality estimation activity to their context. Our consortium operates a โhelp deskโ to foster peer-learning and strengthen capacities across contexts. Activities include: Somalia: New approaches in a fragmented landscape Our previous work in Somalia demonstrated the effectiveness of well-designed data collection exercises to influence humanitarian decision-making - when findings were communicated - in a timely fashion and to the right people. However, we also saw how fragmented the current data landscape is, with mortality data not always collaboratively shared between institutions, and major gaps in mortality data coverage, particularly in areas outside government control. SIMAD University is therefore running a qualitative study with community burial attendants in hard-to-reach areas of Somalia, exploring what would be needed for this to become a feasible and acceptable mechanism of mortality reporting to bridge data gaps. Drawing on a nutrition and mortality surveillance system originally developed in the NGO sector, Evidence for Change is training female health workers to collect mortality data within a large-scale community-based government programme. Ethiopia: Regional partnerships for regional aid prioritisation Previously, universities across Ethiopia ran demographic surveillance sites in their local areas, with mortality and other data flowing to government authorities. Conflict dismantled many of these surveillance programmes. Addis Ababa and Mekelle Universities, which previously ran surveillance sites, are now partnering with regional health authorities in drought-affected Somali region and conflict-hit Tigray to conduct mortality surveys to help guide regional aid prioritisation. Mekelle University is also including a verbal autopsy component to describe the causes of death, something regional authorities found particularly valuable about the pre-war surveillance system because it helped them monitor the health of populations. Democratic Republic of Congo: Navigating insecurity and mistrust Engagements with both formal and informal authorities in eastern Congo can create tension or mistrust, complicating operational permissions and community access. Nevertheless, World Needs and Help is initiating a mortality survey in a conflictโaffected North Kivu region, to document the human toll of ongoing violence and displacement. While the organisation has no prior experience in mortality estimation, our consortium helped them expand their technical skillset. Their experience supporting needs assessments among various partners across the east means they are well positioned to navigate the complex challenges to ensure mortality estimation is possible. Alongside these activities, we are documenting how teams have approached the process, keeping a close eye on context. We are building on social science methodological approaches we developed in phase 1 to help us understand how politics, institutional identities and other evolving challenges shape the ways mortality actors work. Equitable and sustainable systems change None of these challenges have quick fixes. Building an equitable and sustainable approach to mortality estimation will require the concerted efforts of many stakeholders, working together to drive change. Our own consortium is part of that broader momentum. By documenting barriers and testing solutions today, our hope is to inform the strategy that will address these challenges tomorrow, supporting UKHIHโs drive for true systems innovation in humanitarian action.
Country: Uganda Source: World Health Organization **Brazzaville, Kampala, Lomรฉโ**The World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for Africa, in collaboration with ministries of health, partner hospitals, and with support from Irish Aid, organized a series of regional training-of-trainers sessions to strengthen hospital care for severe acute malnutrition (SAM) with medical complications. These training courses form part of the implementation of WHOโs updated 2023 recommendations on the prevention and management of SAM and nutritional edema in children under 5 years. They are based on revised WHO training modules (2025), aligned with the latest evidence, and integrate tools on quality of care, clinical management and support for patients and caregivers. In sub-Saharan Africa, malnutrition remains a major driver of child mortality, with waste being its deadliest form. According to the Joint Child Malnutrition Estimates (WHO, UNICEF, World Bank, 2025), 12.2 million children under 5 suffer from SAM worldwide, nearly a quarter of them in Africaโaround 3 million children. Faced with this heavy burden, training of health workers is essential to ensure quality, standardized and evidence-based hospital care that can significantly improve treatment and save childrenโs lives. โThis training highlights the critical importance of ensuring quality hospital care for children suffering from malnutrition and addresses a key need: supporting countries in applying standardized protocols and continuously improving care quality to save lives,โ said Dr Eugรฉnie Niane, Technical Officer for Nutrition and Food Safety at WHO Madagascar. The sessions combined theoretical and practical approaches, including case studies, simulations, facilitation exercises and supervised clinical placements in hospitals. This integrated approach strengthened clinical skills in assessing, diagnosing and managing SAM complications; improved therapeutic feeding practices and clinical monitoring; promoted caregiver involvement; and introduced continuous quality improvement methods. โThis training reminded us of something powerful: Africa has the expertise, passion and determination needed to change the narrative of child survival on the continent,โ said Dr Joy Odhiambo, Child Health Specialist at Kenyaโs Ministry of Health. She emphasized that every health worker trained through this initiative is now part of a broader movement to protect the future of African children. Participants were also prepared to become national trainers, able to replicate the training in their own countries, thereby contributing to sustainable health system strengthening and continuous improvement of nutritional care. According to Dr John Makengo Mafuila Adjukula, Head of Monitoring and Evaluation at the National Nutrition Programme in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, a new regional dynamic is underway: โWe are now well equipped to replicate the same training in our countries and serve as champions in health facilities to strengthen the management of children suffering from severe acute malnutrition with medical complications.โ The training was delivered in two phases: online and in-person. The online preparatory phase took place from 27 April to 1 May 2026, involving 12 countries. It was followed by two in-person sessions: in Kampala, Uganda (4โ9 May 2026) for English-speaking countries (Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria, South Sudan and Uganda), and in Lomรฉ, Togo (18โ23 May 2026) for French-speaking countries (Burkina Faso, Madagascar, Niger, Democratic Republic of Congo, Chad and Togo). These 12 countries, heavily affected by child malnutrition, benefit from WHOโs sustained support to adapt and implement national protocols aligned with international standards. Cross-country experience sharing proved particularly enriching and strengthened regional collaboration around quality of care. At the end of the training courses, participating countries developed national action plans to organize domestic trainings, reinforce mentorship and clinical supervision, improve quality of care in nutrition units and accelerate the implementation of national protocols aligned with WHO recommendations. Ultimately, this regional initiative is expected to improve the sustainability and quality of nutritional care services and accelerate the reduction of preventable deaths due to severe acute malnutrition among children in Africa. For Additional Information or to Request Interviews, Please contact: Collins Boakye-Agyemang Communications and marketing officer Tel: + 242 06 520 65 65 (WhatsApp) Email: boakyeagyemangc@who.int Kayi Lawson Communications Officer Regional Office for Africa Email: lawsonagbluluf@who.int
Country: World Source: Communication Foundation Communication Foundation Launches New Grant: Storytelling Reviews for NGOs Communication Foundation is excited to announce the launch of a new grant to receive a free Storytelling Review, valued at โฌ2,500. Your story defines how people understand your organisation, its values and its impact. A Storytelling Review helps clarify and strengthen your narrative so it consistently reflects who you are, what you stand for and why your work matters. CFโs Storytelling Review is a structured review of how your organisation communicates its story across channels and formats. We assess narrative structure, key messages, tone of voice, audience focus and coherence to understand whether your storytelling supports your mission and strategic positioning. Grant Awards The Storytelling Review provides a clear assessment of narrative strengths and gaps and provides actionable recommendations to master your story. By offering this service as a grant, Communication Foundation aims to empower NGOs to communicate their mission more effectively without the financial barrier. Application Process NGOs interested in applying for the Donor Proposition Review grant can submit their applications from 25 May to 15 June 2026. The application process is simple: 1. Visit https://www.communicationfoundation.org/grants to complete the form. 2. Share a brief overview of your organisation and why this review would make a difference to your donor communications. 3. Successful grantees get notified upon selection. About Communication Foundation Communication Foundation is dedicated to empowering organisations through effective communication strategies, amplifying the impact of CSOs and NGOs worldwide. Contact Information: โข Email: info@communicationfoundation.org โข Website: www.communicationfoundation.org
Country: Democratic Republic of the Congo Source: ActionAid Please refer to the attached file. After the declaration of Ebola outbreak, ActionAid DRC conducted a rapid needs assessment from 16th to 17th , May 2026 across three operational health zones in Ituri Province, Nyankunde, Nizi and Bunia, in response to the confirmed Bundibugyo Ebola virus (non-Zaire) outbreak declared as the 17th Ebola epidemic in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The assessment coincided with Situation Report No. 004 of the DPS Ituri, which as of 16th , May 2026 recorded 417 total alerts, 393 investigated, 8 laboratory-confirmed cases, 105 probable cases, and 72 persons currently in isolation across nine health zones. The assessment engaged key community stakeholders including COPA (Comitรฉ des Parents in Schools), women's groups, men's groups, child clubs and community health volunteers across all three target locations. Both Nyankunde and Bunia Health Zones have already recorded EVD cases, making the assessment timely and critical for informing ActionAid's humanitarian response programming. Key findings reveal significant gaps in community awareness, health system readiness, school safety preparedness, and protection of women and girls during the outbreak. Particular concern was raised about the psychosocial impact of the epidemic on conflict-displaced populations, denial and stigma fueled by cultural narratives, and the near-total absence of PPE in schools and community spaces.