D+C Development and Cooperation

Nairobi's County Government grants two paid days off per month to female employees experiencing menstrual pain. The measure applies to women in county's government agencies and executive departments. Source: dandc.eu

💌 Good news: There's menstrual leave for women in Nairobi's County Government now. For more good news, sign up for our newsletter! 👉 spkl.io/63328AIe6G

💡 Learn more about the menstrual leave in our latest newsletter. 👉 spkl.io/63329AIe6H

This is such an important point that's not being talked about enough. If nothing is knowable, or if it costs so much to verify: On what basis would people act? They won't.

AI fakes spread disinformation. Is the distrust they create even worse? Manipulated images undermine our shared reality—and the democracy built upon it.

“When disinformation is constant, the everyday cost of knowing what’s going on rises. People spend more time verifying the basics, or they stop trying."

Katharina Wilhelm Otieno, part of D+C editorial team, is shown alongside the quote: “The refugees are probably living more comfortably, even in their tents, than many local Chadians.” Article: From Sudan to Chad; dandc.eu

💥 Since the outbreak of the war in Sudan, many have sought refuge in Chad. D+C's Katharina Wilhelm Otieno visited Chad. The quote is an observation she made on the drive to the border city of Adré.

Read her full report here. 👉 spkl.io/63325AIHUX

Peruvian state responsible for mother’s death in forced sterilisation, court rules Landmark ruling in Celia Ramos case finds 310,000 women, most Indigenous, were targeted in brutal 1990s campaign

Peruvian state responsible for mother’s death in forced sterilisation, court rules

SELMIN ÇALIŞKAN, human-rights and gender-equality expert, stands before graffiti. Her quote goes: "The challenge facing the international community is to provide help without legitimising the Taliban regime." Article: Looking the other way is (not) an option

Looking the other way is (not) an option. 👉 spkl.io/63324AxYZ4

Who bows in the face of Trump’s coercion? Donald Trump has declared Latin America his zone of influence and has proved he means business by abducting Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro. But times have changed, and Latin American governments can turn to other partners as well. In the face of his coercive policies, they are seeking pragmatic resistance and cooperation.

President Trump is trying to get his will in several ways in Latin America. André de Mello e Souza had a look at how countries in the region reacted so far.

There's one country that has not made any major concessions. 👇

Close-up of a hand holding a phone displaying D+C Monthly with the text, "What remains of humanitarian aid?" The text "The new D+C Monthly is available for download!" is also visible. dandc.eu is at the bottom of the image.

"Aid cuts" may sound abstract, but what they mean is less clean water, less food, fewer doctors, less housing, etc., for the people who need all of these things most urgently.

So what remains of humanitarian aid? 👇
🇬🇧: spkl.io/63322AxcuQ
🇩🇪: spkl.io/63323Axcuv

The fact that life in eastern Chad works is nothing short of a miracle | D+C - Development + Cooperation The influx of refugees from Sudan brought a number of international aid organisations to eastern Chad, a region that is almost entirely cut off from any infrastructure. With them came hospitals, schools and markets – but also conflicts over resources that were already scarce. Feelings on the ground are correspondingly mixed.

The influx of refugees from Sudan brought a number of international aid organisations to eastern Chad.

With them came hospitals, schools and markets – but also conflicts over scarce resources. 👇

¡Felicidades!

Congratulations, #Chile for becoming the first country in the Americas, and the second globally, to eliminate #leprosy disease.

A true milestone for public health! And a testament to what leadership, science, and solidarity can accomplish.

Read more 🔗 bit.ly/4b3Hpga

From Sudan to Chad: Refuge in one of the world’s poorest countries Almost 12 million people have been forced to flee since the outbreak of the war in Sudan three years ago. About a million of them have sought refuge in neighbouring Chad – one of the poorest countries in the world. Nevertheless, it has repeatedly taken in ­people from the conflict-ridden region of Darfur over the past 20 years. The humanitarian situation in the border region is rapidly deteriorating, in part due to global cuts to humanitarian aid budgets. An eyewitness report.

What is the situation in Chad like for people who have fled there from Sudan?

D+C editor Katharina Wilhelm Otieno went there to see for herself. This is her eyewitness report. 👇

South Africa’s move to greener energy is creating new jobs, but benefits aren’t evenly spread A just transition to a green economy with broad growth in employment will require deliberate efforts.

South Africa’s green transition is creating new jobs, yet many remain excluded as unemployment, especially among youth, stays stubbornly high. 🌱

theconversation.com/south-africa...

#BusinessAndEconomy

What’s behind the legendary resilience of young Africans? When people return from a visit to Africa, you often hear them comment that young people, in particular, seem remarkably happy despite the hardships and poverty they face. Is this really the case? Kenyan clinical psychologist Gladys K. Mwiti examines the factors that contribute to the resilience of African youth, including African cultural values, entrepreneurial spirit, spiritual beliefs and community ties.

The resilience of young Africans is somewhat legendary. What is there to it? We asked Kenyan clinical psychologist Gladys K. Mwiti. 👇

Medellín cityscape under a blue, cloudy sky, paired with a quote: "Medellín has shown an exceptional ability to use urban planning as a means of driving social and environmental innovation." - Camilo Andrés Carvajal Guerra, environmental engineer.

They call it the "miracle of Medellín": cable cars reaching the city’s margins, green corridors designed to cool the streets – Medellín is full of ideas for improving urban life.

But how transformative have the much-praised projects actually been? See for yourself! 👉 spkl.io/6047AvgRR

Fighting Wildfires Could Soon Get Harder Simultaneous emergencies in different parts of the world could stop countries from sharing ground crews and equipment, new research warns.

Extreme weather conditions that stoke wildfires around the world are happening on more days each year, causing fire seasons in different regions to overlap more, a new study found. The simultaneous emergencies could stop countries from sharing ground crews and equipment.

A slum with colorful shacks and muddy ground reflects unfinished buildings. Text overlay: “For women, safety is not about cameras or apps—it’s about the fact that simply leaving the house should not always have to be a struggle.” - ROLI MAHAJAN

Do you feel safe moving around your city? For many women, feeling safe is not a given. 👉 spkl.io/63329AaJYZ

Ending up in the last category means no food at all Cuts to international aid funding have plunged Kakuma, one of the world’s largest refugee camps located in Kenya, into a worsening humanitarian crisis. With food rations reduced to a fraction of the minimum requirement and basic services collapsing, residents face an impossible choice: either endure worsening hardship in the camp or risk their lives by returning to their conflict-torn home countries.

Residents of the Kakuma camp face an impossible choice:

👉 either endure worsening hardship in the camp
👉 or risk their lives by returning to their conflict-torn home countries.

We describe what's going on there, and quote some voices from the camp.

The killing of cartel kingpin Nemesio 'El Mencho' Oseguera should relieve pressure from Donald Trump. But Sheinbaum's move has also created political and security hazards at home. ft.trib.al/jfKLYXo

A smiling Roli Mahajan, journalist based in Lucknow, India. Quote: "As long as women cannot move around cities without justification, no amount of surveillance will make urban spaces truly safe." Article at dandc.eu.

📱 From crowd-mapping data to AI surveillance, technology-based security tools are on the rise in Indian cities. But real change depends on something else. 👉 spkl.io/63328Av9r8

‘Each person had 10 phones’: Trapped in a cyber-scam centre in Laos Southeast Asia's multibillion-dollar cyber-scam centres lure victims from as far away as Africa.

What do you get when you answer a Telegram job ad for an “IT job in Asia”?

If you’re unlucky: a one-way ticket to forced scamming for an international cybercrime syndicate. 👇

Quote stating, "We need less fear and resentment in the migration debate and instead more understanding of how integration can actually succeed." - JÖRG DÖBEREINER, managing editor of D+C; Article: Integration is a shared responsibility, dandc.eu

Debates can heat up quickly and become very unconstructive. In many countries, the migration debate is one such example. 👉 spkl.io/63320AvyUj

A world reimagined in Black By placing Kwame Nkrumah at the center of a global Black political network, Howard W. French reveals how the promise of pan-African emancipation was narrowed—and what its failure still costs Africa an...

By placing Kwame Nkrumah at the center of a global Black political network, @hofrench.bsky.social reveals how the promise of pan-African emancipation was narrowed—and what its failure still costs Africa and the diaspora. africasacountry.com/2026/02/a-wo...

Ladislaus Ludescher, a postdoctoral researcher at Goethe University Frankfurt am Main, is featured next to text: "Reporting on the Global South tends for the most part to neglect or indeed completely ignore key events in these countries."

The Global South hardly figures at all in leading media reports. Or it is often reduced to negative narratives.

That needs to change, say Ladislaus Ludescher and many others. 👉 spkl.io/63325AQ4pB

Ecowas without the Sahel states: how the split is testing free movement and regional legitimacy Beyond the rights to free movement, the AES withdrawal has real effects on Ecowas in terms of its legitimacy, strength and migrant rights.

Free movement in West Africa is under threat as Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso’s exit from Ecowas begins to reshape regional travel. 🌍

theconversation.com/ecowas-witho...

#Politics

A transformative opportunity for the future: Africa and Europe should put trade at the centre of their relations When global leaders gathered in Addis Ababa at the 39th African Union Summit in mid-February to set and align priorities in key areas, the headlines and discussions focused on geopolitics, security and climate. But beneath these urgent themes lies a quieter, transformative opportunity: trade. If approached with ambition and balance, trade can become one of the most powerful levers for a new era of collaboration between Africa and Germany and, eventually, across the entire Africa-Europe partnership.

🤝 There's "the mother of all deals" with India, there's #Mercosur – why isn't there a similarly bold, future-oriented agreement between Europe and Africa?

#AUSummit2026 #Agenda2063

Climate change could expose 1.1 billion people to hunger by 2100 (but there’s good news too) – AI modelling study Without rapid cuts to fossil fuels and a shift to clean energy, climate change could drive over a billion into hunger by 2100, hitting Africa hard.

Without rapid cuts to fossil fuels and a shift to clean energy, climate change could drive over a billion into hunger by 2100, hitting Africa hard.

theconversation.com/climate-chan...

#Climate

Image shows a street scene in an African city. Text states, "3.5% is the annual growth rate of the population in African cities – an unprecedented urbanization rate in human history." People and vehicles fill the busy street. dandc.eu

🌇 Of the billion people by which Africa’s population is projected to grow by 2050, 80 % will live in cities. Urbanisation comes with challenges but also opportunities – our authors discuss both in the current D+C Digital Monthly on liveable cities: spkl.io/63324AtY0k

Illustration of Lagos air pollution's economic impact: rising from $1.4B in 2023 to $9.9B by 2040. Smoke stacks loom over a city skyline and polluted waters. Source: Clean Air Fund, dandc.eu

🇳🇬 Nigeria’s largest city suffers from severe air pollution. Olamide Udoma-Ejorh and Waziri Mainasara highlight the crucial role of citizen-led data in tackling the problem. ▶️spkl.io/63325AtOCl

A collage shows young people playing in a favela in Rio de Janeiro, with superimposed images of David Amen and a spiritual figure. Text: "David Amen/RioOnWatch", "Article: David Amen supports young people in Rio's favelas" and "dandc.eu".

The artwork on the cover of our current Digital Monthly was created by David Amen, a Brazilian graffiti artist, video maker and art & media educator. Learn more about his work here ▶️ spkl.io/63329AtOmc

Two men sit at a red table outside, with bottles on it. Text reads: "After all, sustainability means more than international acclaim - it must be felt in everyday life." CAMILO ANDRÉS CARVAJAL GUERRA, environmental engineer...

🇨🇴 Medellín is full of ideas for improving urban life. But will the “miracle of Medellín” be able to withstand the social and environmental pressures it faces? ▶️spkl.io/63328AtOJg