Louise Archives

Women Were Key to Eradicating Wild Polio in Africa. But Can They Do the Same for COVID?

How do governments and the wider medical community successfully immunise the entire world against COVID-19? The answer might just lie with women, who played an enormous role in eradicating wild polio across Africa.

by Jessica Washington & Louise Donovan

This piece was published in partnership between Marie Claire UK, Kenya’s the Nation and The Fuller Project.

In Wake of Beirut’s Devastating Blast, Stranded Kenyan Domestic Workers Demand Repatriation

An estimated 30 women - at least three with children - took to the streets to protest. They are sleeping outside the Kenyan consular on mattresses with little food or water.

by Louise Donovan

This article was published in partnership with Kenya’s Daily Nation.

Seeking a decent life for domestic workers

As the head of the National Domestic Workers Council of Kudheiha, a trade union that advocates for Kenyan workers’ rights, she is the first point of contact for women’s pleas across the country and beyond.

by Louise Donovan

This article was originally published in The Daily Nation.

Laid Off and Locked Up: Virus Traps Domestic Workers in Arab States

When the nine African women lost their jobs as domestic workers in Saudi Arabia because of the coronavirus lockdown, the agency that had recruited them stuffed them in a bare room with a few thin…

by Louise Donovan and Ben Hubbard

This article was originally published in The New York Times.

A Transport Ban in Uganda Means Women are Trapped at Home with Their Abusers

Seconds after Veronica opened her eyes in the hospital, she knew who had put her there. Her body ached; her head throbbed. The night before, the 25-year-old mother-of-five was busy buying medication for her children…

by Louise Donovan

This article was originally published in CNN International.

Coronavirus: Over 200% Surge In Links To Child Abuse Material Posted Online

Teams of undercover investigators tasked with identifying and removing webpages containing child abuse material have reported a massive spike.

by Louise Donovan and Corinne Redfern

This article was originally published in The Telegraph.

Sex Workers’ Dilemma amid Covid-19

At 6:30pm every evening, Emelda Ngieno’s alarm clock buzzes her out of a deep sleep. As the sun sets, she gets up, throws on tonight’s chosen outfit and heads to her designated location: Pipeline, a…

by Angela Oketch & Louise Donovan

This article was originally published in The Daily Nation.

Kenya’s Labor Market Wasn’t Made for a Pandemic

NAIROBI—For the past week, every morning, Akonya Shimeseru wakes up in her single-room home that she shares with her two children in Ongata Rongai, a town on the outskirts of Nairobi.

by Louise Donovan and April Zhu

This article was originally published in Foreign Policy.

‘You Are Beautiful’: the Kenyan Beauty Parlour Serving Female Heroin Users

Naima Said stands back and studies her handiwork. “Not quite,” the self-taught beauty therapist mumbles, her forehead furrowed in frustration. Then she delicately dabs her client’s eyelid with a squishy makeup sponge. She’s not finished…

by Angela Oketch and Louise Donovan

This article was originally published in The Guardian.

Meet Beauty Therapist Saving Female Heroin Addicts

Housed in the Reachout Centre Trust, which helps Mombasa residents fight drug addiction, it opened last year with a view to attracting more female users to its services that include HIV testing, counselling, methadone treatment…

by Louise Donovan

This article was originally published in The Daily Nation.

The Movement Tackling Sexual Harassment at Kenya’s Universities

Diana perched on a brown bench in one of Nairobi University's large lecture theatres, twisting her fingers into pretzel-like shapes. She scanned the room. To her left, students waited eagerly to hear her story. To…

by Louise Donovan

This article was published in partnership with The Nation and Al Jazeera.

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