Global Health

Twin sisters Tripti and Pari, who lost both their parents to COVID-19, play at a relative's home in Bhopal, India on May 11, 2021. A new study estimates that 8 million kids lost a parent or primary caregiver to a pandemic-related cause.

Health & Safety

Nearly 8 million kids lost a parent or primary caregiver to the pandemic

4:09pm September 06, 2022

by Rhitu Chatterjee

A new study finds numbers far higher than previously thought. India has the greatest number of kids affected. The U.S. has 250,000 kids in this category but lags behind in aid for bereaved families.

Ibrahim Songne, an immigrant from Burkina Faso, opened a pizza spot called IBRIS in the Italian town of Trento. He overcame local prejudices — and now has been named to a list of the world's top 50 pizzerias.

Health & Safety

Whatever happened to the African-born pizza chef who won over biased Italians?

8:25am September 03, 2022

by Ian Brennan

Ibrahim Songne overcame local prejudice to gain success in Italy with his pizza joint and a spot on a list of top 50 global pizza joints. He's now made a special pizza in honor of ... Goats and Soda!

Sikhulile Moyo, the laboratory director at the Botswana-Harvard AIDS Institute and a research associate with the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, headed the team that identified the omicron variant.

Whatever happened to the Botswana scientist who identified omicron — then caught it?

4:53pm September 02, 2022

by Melody Schreiber

Sikhulile Moyo led the team that first identified omicron — and was dismayed by the world's reaction — blaming and blacklisting African nations. He's now a bit more optimistic.

Left to right: Nazia, Mubina and Leila saw their homes washed away in the flooding. They now share a tent at a technical college that has been converted into a camp for displaced people.

Mothers tell how Pakistan's monsoon floods have upended their lives

11:09am September 02, 2022

by Diaa Hadid

In the city of Nowshera, tent cities for flood refugees are springing up on college campuses. At one such haven, mothers spoke to NPR about their struggle to survive.

Joel Joseph in the clothing shop where he worked with a friend during the pandemic.

Whatever happened to the teens who endured the world's longest COVID school closure?

1:41pm September 01, 2022

Ugandan schools were shut for nearly 2 years due to the pandemic. High schoolers were glad to see the shutdown end early this year. But for many, school fees stand in the way of a return to class.

The Corbevax vaccine was invented at the Center for Vaccine Development at Texas Children's Hospital and intended for countries that couldn't get access to more expensive COVID vaccines. India has inoculated millions of teens with Corbevax (above, a vacci

Whatever happened to the new no-patent COVID vaccine touted as a global game changer?

6:04pm August 31, 2022

by Joe Palca

The inventors of Corbevax said it was cheap, easy to make, effective and safe. They hoped it could bring vaccine equity to countries that can't access costlier shots. Has it lived up to its promise?

Global musicians can run into daunting red tape when it comes to obtaining a visa to perform at festivals. Soubi Attoumane (left) and M'madi Djibaba (right) of the band Comorian from Comoros had to fly to another country to apply for a U.K. visa to come t

Visa dissonance: Why world music performers can't always make it to the stage on time

12:27pm August 31, 2022

by Ian Brennan

Sounds like a musician's dream come true: A duo from the African nation of Comoros was invited to Peter Gabriel's world music fest. But there was a daunting obstacle: Getting a visa to enter the U.K.

Urban farmer Victor Edalia (right) with three beneficiaries of his free veggies in 2020 (left to right): Sheila Musimbi, a single mom; Celine Oinga, who comes from a family of 9 siblings; and Jackline Oyamo, jobless due to the pandemic. He's expanded his

Health & Safety

Whatever happened to the Kenyan farmer who turned a dump into a garden of giveaways?

7:52pm August 30, 2022

by Thomas Bwire

Victor Edalia turned a trash dump into a farm. He hoped to earn extra income but decided to give away free produce during the pandemic. Now hundreds of needy families enjoy his harvest.

Gloria Majiga-Kamoto, an activist from Malawi, was one of six recipients of the 2021 Goldman Environmental Prize. Majiga-Kamoto has been campaigning to convince Malawi to implement a ban on thin plastics.

Whatever happened to the Malawian anti-plastic activist inspired by goats?

5:00pm August 29, 2022

by Julia Simon

Gloria Majiga-Kamoto, after seeing goats dying from eating plastic bags, took on the plastic industry and won the Goldman Environmental Prize. But Malawi's plastic industry still poses challenges.

Tennis great Rafael Nadal of Spain might think twice about shaking off his beads of perspiration. It turns out that sweat leads to a surprising health benefit.

Why stinky sweat is good for you

4:20pm August 29, 2022

by Michaeleen Doucleff

So sweat doesn't really smell bad at all. But when bacteria eat the sweat — nostrils, look out! Only it turns out that these sweat-eating critters are responsible for a big health benefit.