How cycling lessons in Khayelitsha helped Zanele overcome her fear of failing
22-year-old Zanele Molo hates being out of control. As she musters the courage to master the bike, Zanele goes back into her past to figure out why letting go is so hard.
Abiodun’s fight for blind students at the University of Lagos
Abiodun Oyeniran lost his sight completely at age 21. At 28, he finally makes it into the University of Lagos, only to realise the campus is not equipped to fully support the needs of blind students. So, Abiodun becomes an accidental activist…
Part two of our series about transitions to higher education in South Africa
Can 17-year-old Nonhlanhla Mashabana overcome a broken education system, or will it bring her down with it?
When home is the most toxic town in the world
Lead mining earned Kabwe, Zambia the title of one of the most toxic towns in the world. How does Oliver – who suffered from lead poisoning himself – and the wider community feel about the return of mining to the region, but this time in the form of transition minerals?
Why young Nigerians are leaving home for good
According to a recent survey, 70% of Nigerians aged 15 to 35 want to leave the country. Despite a fulfilling dental career, Damola wants to migrate to Canada too, leaving behind everything and everyone she knows including her recently widowed mother. How did Nigeria get here? And what are the hidden costs of migration, both for those who leave, and those who stay behind?
The audio diary of a spelling bee champion, finding her way from high school to what’s next
Nonhlanhla is a talented, shy student from a working-class family living in an informal settlement in Emalahleni. She is studying hard to get into university because she sees it as a path to a better life, uplift her family, and community. But in this final year of high school, there’s a lot standing in her way: money, self-doubt, growing up poor in post-Apartheid South Africa…