Paying the Price Paying the Price How a Lesotho water project is caught between U.S. and China, with locals paying the price Maloraneng village lies next to the Khubelu River, a vital water source for Phase II of the Lesotho Highlands Water Project, which is currently under construction in Mokhotlong district. Photo by Pascalinah Kabi. […]
Posted inAll Stories, Land, Water
Finding Fish: How Contaminated Seafood Threatens Generations in Nigeria’s Oil Delta
By AnuOluwapo AdelakunPulitzer Center Grantee/ West Africa Editor for Water Journalists Africa.Bodo, Rivers State, Nigeria. Nombare Tabu sets his trap in Bodo Creek every other day, just as his father taught him decades ago. But when he returns the next morning, his catch tells a different story than the one his grandfather might have recognized. […]
Posted inAll Stories, Special Projects, Water
A Poisoned Legacy: How Contamination and Flawed Cleanup Efforts Define Life in Oil-rich Communities in Nigeria
By AnuOluwapo AdelakunPulitzer Centre Grantee/West Africa Editor for Water Journalists Africa Rivers State, Nigeria The water from Comrade Noble Nwolu’s house borehole smells like crude oil. When he runs his tap, the smell immediately oozes out and an oily streak beams under the sun. “My house is situated right here on the land of Nsisioken, […]
Posted inAll Stories, Special Projects
Lesotho’s textile sector faces devastation and environmental fallout amid US tariff uncertainty and expiring AGOA
This story by Pascalinah Kabi was produced with support from Bertha Foundation Impact Fund. In the small southern African kingdom of Lesotho, leaders of the once-thriving textile industry say the sector is standing on the edge of a cliff. With the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) set to expire in September 2025 and U.S. […]
Posted inWater
Ugandan teen wins big global prize for her ideas on clean toilets
Innocent Agonza A young student from Jinja, eastern Uganda is getting a lot of attention around the world after winning a top award in a big video contest. Lynette Mujaasi Kaye, a 9th grader at Viva College School, took first place in the “World of 8 Billion” video competition. Thousands of teenagers from 67 countries […]
Posted inClimate Change, Land, Water
Urgent Help for Libyan Farmers Facing Dry Times
Two big international groups, the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS), are teaming up with the Libyan government on a new water project worth US$9.2 million. The project will help about 57,000 families who are small-scale farmers and animal herders in very dry parts of Libya. […]
Posted inAll Stories, Water
Mozambique’s pulp fiction
A Portuguese eucalyptus forestry project is rapidly spreading harmful exotic species in Mozambique’s rural areas in order to supply Europe’s packaging needs. Davide Mancini, Juan Maza Calleja and Boaventura Monjane investigate This story was first published by the Oxpeckers Center for Investigative Environmental Journalism. Sitting beside his broken-down tractor, Luis André Naite has little hope of reclaiming his land. More than […]
Posted inAll Stories, Land, Research, Water
The Price of Palm Oil in DRC’s Boteka
By Jonas Kiriko This story was supported by the Pulitzer Center Rainforest Reporting Grant. Already in conflict with local communities over land grabbing, Plantation et Huilerie du Congo (PHC) has just acquired new concessions to expand its palm oil plantations in Boteka. This deprived local communities of nearly 2,500 hectares of arable land. On a rainy […]
Posted inAll Stories, Climate Change, ground water, Land, Opinion, Photography, Research, Special Projects, Water
Op-ed: Securing Land Rights is Key for Justice and Economic Stability
By Dennis Omukunde – ILC Africa & HATUNGIMANA Hilaire – Confederation of Agricultural Producers’ Associations for Development (CAPAD) Across Africa and much of the Global South, land is more than just a physical asset; it is the foundation of security, dignity, and economic survival. Yet, land tenure insecurity remains a major driver of conflict, poverty, […]
Posted inAll Stories, Climate Change, ground water, Photography, Special Projects
Roots of Resilience
. . Roots of Resilience Communities around East Africa’s Mount Elgon find resilience in groundwater Harriet Chelangat, a farmer from Kawowo village, Tingye county, in Kapchorwa district, is known for her dedication to sustainable agriculture and innovative approach to managing groundwater resources. Faced with unpredictable rainfall and climate change challenges, Chelangat recognized the importance of […]
Posted inAll Stories, ground water, Photography, Special Projects
Groundwater Enhances Drinking Water Access in Burundian Schools
Ezéchiel Nibaruta Imagine a classroom where students are parched, their uniforms soiled, and the air thick with dust and despair. This was the reality at Bwiza-Bweranka Basic School in northeastern Burundi’s Ngozi province, where the absence of clean drinking water and sanitary facilities affected students’ well-being and academic performance. Headteacher Apollinaire Ndikumana recalls the sad […]
Posted inAll Stories, ground water, Photography, Special Projects
Conserving groundwater to ensure schools have reliable access to water
Prosper Kwigize Father Juvenalis Mutalemwa, the head of Ntungamo Vocational College, is among the hundreds of seminarians who enrolled and studied at Ntungamo Minor Seminary. The seminary is in Ngara District, Kagera Region of Tanzania, which is about 15 kilometers from the Kagera River. After completing grade seven, he joined the school in 1980, preparing […]
Posted inAll Stories, ground water, Photography, Special Projects
Groundwater Changes Lives in Ntungamo
Perez Rumanzi In the Ntungamo district of Uganda, something exciting is happening. Residents are coming together to drill for groundwater in a race to find safe and affordable water for their families and crops. The need for safe water has united their efforts, with help from the government, non-government organizations (NGOs) and religious institutions joining […]
Posted inAll Stories, ground water, Photography, Special Projects
Kabale Communities Thrive with Groundwater Solutions
Job Namanya Kabale Municipality, located in the beautiful Kigezi region of western Uganda, is known for its stunning landscapes and rich agriculture. However, the area faces challenges due to climate change. Unpredictable rainfall, long dry periods, and water shortages are threatening the livelihoods of the people living there. In this situation, groundwater has become essential […]
Posted inAll Stories, ground water, Special Projects
Groundwater Fuels Education in Mt Elgon region
Javier Silas Omagor Groundwater is quenching thirst and transforming the educational landscape for thousands of children, empowering communities, and boosting local economies in the districts of Mbale and Kapchorwa in eastern Uganda. The two districts are part of the Mt. Elgon aquifer, a vital transboundary resource shared between Uganda and Kenya. According to the Nile […]