Children’s stories of horror and hope in northeast Nigeria
”Of course there is hope”, says Gerida, a UNICEF public health specialists in Nigeria. “One day all of this will be over and in the meantime it’s our job to keep these girls alive and make sure they...
View Article“I try to flee, but I can’t move”
It is a warm Tuesday morning in Bujumbura, Burundi. The sun is shining and birds are chirping. On my way to work, I am called by our Child Protection Specialist, who has just had news that a...
View ArticleA school (un)like any other in Eastern Ukraine
At first glance, the School No. 12 in Slovyansk, Eastern Ukraine, looks like any other school. Proud parents drop off their sons and daughters first thing in the morning; children chase balls, play...
View ArticleIn Ukraine, healing through being heard
In Mariupol, a city near the line of conflict in eastern Ukraine, some districts are especially close to the fighting. The Left Bank district, where I work as a psychologist in a Youth Centre, is one...
View ArticleLife on the edge in eastern Ukraine
“My cats eyes were so wide, he was also very afraid,” Diana tells us matter of factly. The 10-year-old is explaining what happened during a recent day of intense shelling in Avdiivka, her hometown on...
View ArticleThe “psych mum” for children affected by Ebola
“The children ask me a lot of questions about the disease and the reason why they are here”, explains Sylvie Waridi, a psychologist at the Ebola treatment centre in Beni, in the east of the Democratic...
View ArticleWhat it’s like to be a Māori child
As New Zealanders, we feel we are a privileged nation with accessible, clean water and great health care. We are not under a massive threat of genocide or human trafficking. To many other countries we...
View ArticleApproach nicely: Culture and disability in rural Namibia
Indiscernible from afar, the seemingly disconnected homesteads scattered across the vast open landscape of Northern Namibia belie an advanced intelligence network. In this hard landscape, people have...
View Article“These are our children”
When our car pulled over to pick up Yvonne, I was at once struck by her elegance. In this small village in remote Nyagatare District, she stood out in her vibrant patterned pants and her deep blue...
View ArticleThe time for a child mental health revolution is now
“Tell my wife I love her.” The last words spoken by an Italian pensioner isolated in the ICU early in the COVID-19 pandemic echo the anguish and loss of families and children the world over. With...
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