Dr. Anne Merriman, who died in May at 90, pioneered palliative care in Africa. In 1993, only 3 countries offered it. By her death, her Ugandan hospice had cared for 40,000 people—and her model had reached 37 countries. For @en.afp.com with 📸 by Katumba Badru👇
www.barrons.com/news/legacy-...

So honored to share that my reporting about women in Congo won the Gaby Rado Award from @amnestyuk.bsky.social
last night. What an honor it is! #AmnestyMediaAwards

In 2024, I met militants in DRC and mothers giving birth near the frontlines. In Mozambique, I uncovered army abuses connected to a major natural gas project. In Uganda, I attended a vigil mourning deaths from unsafe abortions and ate with Sudanese refugees. It’s been an honor! 🧵

Read the full piece for New Internationalist. Endless thanks to the brave women who shared their stories with me, speaking from displacement camps and hospital wards. The story belong to them.

"At night I feel afraid not knowing if we are going to wake up, if a bomb is going to be thrown into our quarter," Nicole Musimbi, a peace activist in Goma, told me. But empathy in times of hardship can lead to change. “The resilience of women in the city keeps me doing the work,” she added.

Henriette Mbitse, called Mama Henriette, fights another battle. She helps displaced women, raped in war, get medical care. “My strength comes from the fact that I am also a woman,” she said. “It comes from my deep heart.” A dozen women come to Mama Henriette's tent each day, seeking her help.

Jacqueline Uwimana lives in a displacement camp outside of Goma. Her 15-year-old daughter enlisted with an armed group, and she's powerless to bring her back. “She is still young. I need her with me,” she said. Conflict has torn families like her's apart.

"I cannot leave this army. I am ready to die for my country,” a 19-year old militant in an oversized uniform told me. She is one of the many young people to join the Wazalendo -government loyal militias battling M23. Women are confined to low-rank positions, so more likely to be killed in battle.