Hannah McNeish is a freelance journalist based in East Africa who focuses on human rights stories. Follow her on Twitter at @HannahMcNeish. https://www.newsdeeply.com/womensadvancement/contributor/hannah-mcneish/rss en Equal Pay and Opportunity Mon, 05 Jun 2017 07:35:06 +0000 Hannah McNeish https://www.newsdeeply.com/womensadvancement/articles/2017/06/05/the-warrior-women-fighting-to-save-endangered-lions-in-kenya https://www.newsdeeply.com/womensadvancement/articles/2017/06/05/the-warrior-women-fighting-to-save-endangered-lions-in-kenya Many Samburu women in Kenya’s north had come to fear lions, but now they’re taking up the conservation cause – and demanding the same training and opportunities as men. Gender-Based Violence Heroes Wed, 03 May 2017 13:18:45 +0000 Hannah McNeish https://www.newsdeeply.com/womenandgirls/articles/2017/05/03/the-activist-taking-on-patriarchy-to-end-domestic-violence-in-kenya https://www.newsdeeply.com/womenandgirls/articles/2017/05/03/the-activist-taking-on-patriarchy-to-end-domestic-violence-in-kenya Dowry culture and a fixation on reproduction have contributed to violence towards women in African homes. But with legal reform and awareness campaigns on the rise, activists like Kenya’s Saida Ali are optimistic about changing attitudes. Entrepreneurship Solutions Thu, 30 Mar 2017 12:56:06 +0000 Hannah McNeish https://www.newsdeeply.com/womensadvancement/articles/2017/03/30/kenyan-startup-helping-women-farmers-get-fair-prices https://www.newsdeeply.com/womensadvancement/articles/2017/03/30/kenyan-startup-helping-women-farmers-get-fair-prices Due to voracious brokers, many Kenyan farmers make very little profit from selling their produce. But one social enterprise is teaching hundreds of farmers, most of them women, how to grow more and earn what they deserve. Health Thu, 02 Feb 2017 13:31:08 +0000 Hannah McNeish https://www.newsdeeply.com/womenandgirls/articles/2017/02/02/health-clinics-already-hit-catastrophic-global-gag-rule https://www.newsdeeply.com/womenandgirls/articles/2017/02/02/health-clinics-already-hit-catastrophic-global-gag-rule The story of one family planning clinic in Nairobi shows how President Trump’s decision to cut U.S. funding to any organization that so much as discusses abortion with its patients could threaten everything from HIV prevention to GBV counseling. Health Mon, 23 Jan 2017 13:21:07 +0000 Hannah McNeish https://www.newsdeeply.com/womenandgirls/articles/2017/01/23/self-injectable-gives-women-power-family-planning https://www.newsdeeply.com/womenandgirls/articles/2017/01/23/self-injectable-gives-women-power-family-planning For women in much of the developing world, a lack of autonomy and privacy are just a couple of obstacles to accessing birth control. A small, self-injectable contraceptive trialed in Uganda could empower more women to make their own decisions regarding childbirth. Education Fri, 13 Jan 2017 14:03:46 +0000 Hannah McNeish https://www.newsdeeply.com/womenandgirls/articles/2017/01/13/refugee-mbe-akuja-de-garangs-quest-keep-girls-school https://www.newsdeeply.com/womenandgirls/articles/2017/01/13/refugee-mbe-akuja-de-garangs-quest-keep-girls-school Despite a childhood spent fleeing the fighting in southern Sudan, Akuja de Garang was determined to keep up with her studies. Now her work to help girls in South Sudan stay in education has earned her royal recognition. Health Thu, 15 Dec 2016 15:34:18 +0000 Hannah McNeish https://www.newsdeeply.com/womenandgirls/articles/2016/12/15/delivering-healthcare-kenyas-terrorized-coastal-villages https://www.newsdeeply.com/womenandgirls/articles/2016/12/15/delivering-healthcare-kenyas-terrorized-coastal-villages The team at Umra Omar’s charity Safari Doctors travel for days by sailboat and motorbike to bring medication and maternal health services to parts of the Kenyan coast that have been cut off by conflict. Crisis and Conflict Wed, 07 Dec 2016 12:31:57 +0000 Hannah McNeish https://www.newsdeeply.com/womenandgirls/articles/2016/12/07/sudanese-villages-swallowed-desert-sands https://www.newsdeeply.com/womenandgirls/articles/2016/12/07/sudanese-villages-swallowed-desert-sands As desertification claims more of Sudan’s once fertile land, women in farming communities struggle to keep their families healthy while constantly fighting the encroaching sand dunes. Health Mon, 05 Dec 2016 13:19:28 +0000 Hannah McNeish https://www.newsdeeply.com/womenandgirls/articles/2016/12/05/sitawa-wafula-kenyas-young-mental-health-tzar https://www.newsdeeply.com/womenandgirls/articles/2016/12/05/sitawa-wafula-kenyas-young-mental-health-tzar After Sitawa Wafula was diagnosed with epilepsy and bipolar disorder, she discovered that having a mental illness in Kenya meant struggling alone. So when her blog won her a $25,000 prize, she used the money to launch the country’s first free mental health hotline. Education Mon, 21 Nov 2016 13:54:23 +0000 Hannah McNeish https://www.newsdeeply.com/womenandgirls/articles/2016/11/21/gess-fund-keeping-south-sudans-girls-school-wartime https://www.newsdeeply.com/womenandgirls/articles/2016/11/21/gess-fund-keeping-south-sudans-girls-school-wartime South Sudan’s ongoing violence and battered economy are causing large numbers of girls to drop out of school. Now a British-funded education program is hoping to help 200,000 girls continue their education by giving them money for fees and school supplies. Education Gender-Based Violence Thu, 03 Nov 2016 13:05:27 +0000 Hannah McNeish https://www.newsdeeply.com/womenandgirls/articles/2016/11/03/superwoman-network-empowers-vulnerable-women-sudan https://www.newsdeeply.com/womenandgirls/articles/2016/11/03/superwoman-network-empowers-vulnerable-women-sudan Based in Khartoum, the Superwoman Network brings together five civil society organizations to provide support, legal aid and training to help women who were once the victims of domestic violence and FGM. Reproductive Rights Solutions Mon, 31 Oct 2016 12:59:04 +0000 Hannah McNeish https://www.newsdeeply.com/womenandgirls/articles/2016/10/31/shelter-helps-stigmatized-young-mothers-build-happy-families-sudan https://www.newsdeeply.com/womenandgirls/articles/2016/10/31/shelter-helps-stigmatized-young-mothers-build-happy-families-sudan In Sudan, girls and young women who have children are often abandoned by their families and stigmatized in their communities. A shelter in Khartoum gives these mothers a home and works to help them build their families. Entrepreneurship Mon, 10 Oct 2016 13:26:11 +0000 Hannah McNeish https://www.newsdeeply.com/womensadvancement/articles/2016/10/10/anjali-sarker-girls-break-barriers https://www.newsdeeply.com/womensadvancement/articles/2016/10/10/anjali-sarker-girls-break-barriers From cultural curse to social entrepreneur, Bangladeshi innovator Anjali Sarker is determined to cut through caste and gender to allow people at “the bottom of the pyramid” to rise to their potential. Education Mon, 26 Sep 2016 11:53:25 +0000 Hannah McNeish https://www.newsdeeply.com/womenandgirls/articles/2016/09/26/teaching-south-sudans-girls-to-be-more-than-cash-cows https://www.newsdeeply.com/womenandgirls/articles/2016/09/26/teaching-south-sudans-girls-to-be-more-than-cash-cows In a part of South Sudan where a girl’s worth is measured in how many cows her family can get for her dowry, one school is teaching girls how to stand up for their rights. Crisis and Conflict Gender-Based Violence Fri, 23 Sep 2016 14:11:22 +0000 Hannah McNeish https://www.newsdeeply.com/womenandgirls/articles/2016/09/23/kudos-and-a-curse-meet-the-savior-of-girls-in-samburu https://www.newsdeeply.com/womenandgirls/articles/2016/09/23/kudos-and-a-curse-meet-the-savior-of-girls-in-samburu Josephine Kulea has saved over 1,000 girls in Kenya from forced marriage and the female genital mutilation that usually precedes it. Her work has earned praise from Barack Obama, but she says politicians back home won’t support her work in case it loses them votes. Crisis and Conflict Heroes Wed, 14 Sep 2016 06:43:05 +0000 Hannah McNeish https://www.newsdeeply.com/womenandgirls/articles/2016/09/14/the-madwoman-giving-burundis-civil-war-orphans-a-second-chance https://www.newsdeeply.com/womenandgirls/articles/2016/09/14/the-madwoman-giving-burundis-civil-war-orphans-a-second-chance When Marguerite Barankitse started taking in children who had been orphaned by Burundi’s civil war, people called her crazy. But after helping more than 30,000 kids, she still dreams of raising a generation that can learn to live in peace. Health Reproductive Rights Solutions Mon, 05 Sep 2016 11:09:12 +0000 Hannah McNeish https://www.newsdeeply.com/womenandgirls/articles/2016/09/05/how-the-novelty-of-an-ultrasound-can-lead-to-life-saving-hiv-treatment https://www.newsdeeply.com/womenandgirls/articles/2016/09/05/how-the-novelty-of-an-ultrasound-can-lead-to-life-saving-hiv-treatment More than 800 women die every day from preventable causes related to pregnancy and childbirth. By bringing ultrasounds to Democratic Republic of Congo’s rural communities, the See Your Baby project helps women get treatment before their conditions turn fatal. Crisis and Conflict Health Thu, 01 Sep 2016 08:52:45 +0000 Hannah McNeish https://www.newsdeeply.com/womenandgirls/articles/2016/09/01/the-crippling-cost-of-breast-cancer-in-kenya https://www.newsdeeply.com/womenandgirls/articles/2016/09/01/the-crippling-cost-of-breast-cancer-in-kenya In Kenya, both the privileged and the poor struggle to pay for breast cancer treatment. As part of our series “The Shifting Burden,” we look at the slow progress toward accessible care in a country where a mammogram costs more than an average month’s salary. Crisis and Conflict Gender-Based Violence Wed, 24 Aug 2016 12:34:56 +0000 Hannah McNeish https://www.newsdeeply.com/womenandgirls/articles/2016/08/24/aid-worker-attacks-expose-ongoing-assault-of-women-in-south-sudan https://www.newsdeeply.com/womenandgirls/articles/2016/08/24/aid-worker-attacks-expose-ongoing-assault-of-women-in-south-sudan Reports of assault and gang rape of foreign aid workers by soldiers in South Sudan’s capital have caught the world’s attention. Now Priyanka Motaparthy, emergencies researcher for Human Rights Watch, is working to make sure that outrage translates into concrete action. Health Solutions Wed, 24 Aug 2016 11:18:57 +0000 Hannah McNeish https://www.newsdeeply.com/womenandgirls/articles/2016/08/24/in-south-africa-hiv-prevention-starts-with-sex-workers https://www.newsdeeply.com/womenandgirls/articles/2016/08/24/in-south-africa-hiv-prevention-starts-with-sex-workers A government rollout of antiretroviral treatment PrEP puts the power of prevention into women’s hands in a country once called the ‘world’s rape capital.’ One of the first groups to get the free pills is also one of the most vulnerable: prostitutes.