HIGHLIGHTS

Amref Health Africa, an NGO based in Kenya and active in more than 35 countries across the continent, worries that the pandemic only exacerbated structural issues that keep mothers and children from getting the care they need to stay healthy.

The pandemic disrupted learning for all students in ways large and small, but for some children, it threatened to permanently derail their education. A recent UN report estimated that when public schools in Liberia reopened in December 2020, for instance, 43% of students did not return.

Gender-based violence is a pervasive problem around the globe, but South Africa faces special challenges.

Nurses like Lucy, who provide skilled and compassionate care, can make a huge difference in the lives of people in need of medical support and their families. But the pandemic has exacerbated a preexisting nursing shortage, leaving too many patients without the attention they deserve.

"Doing this is fun because it's different. I love working with this group of women. We work hard together to make something amazing happen," said one participant in Prison Performing Arts (PPA) programming at the Women’s Eastern Reception Diagnostic and Correctional Center in Vandalia, Missouri.

“I’d been like part of a choir previously, but because I was undiagnosed at the time, there was like this consistent disconnect,” says saxophonist Jamie. “I wasn’t sure how to voice my needs and I distanced myself from like a lot of musical performance groups.”

If you stop for a moment in Syntagma Square, at the heart of Athens, you’ll see kids skateboarding, commuters rushing for the metro, buskers performing on the street, and tourists taking it all in.

Their cheeks are pinched, their hair is stroked, their backs are patted, and their foreheads are kissed. It’s not always easy for a child to distinguish between appropriate and inappropriate touch by others, to voice concern, or to seek help—even when the stakes can be devastating.

“The fridge started to empty; sometimes at dinner I prepared milk and chocolate for the children, an apple for me,” wrote Lisa, a 27-year-old beautician in Rome.