It had been exactly one year since the last time I was in Honduras. I was honestly glad to enjoy the green landscape as the airplane landed in San Pedro Sula airport. Little did I know that my excitement was going to change into something more ominous, on my way to the hotel where I was about to spend my quarantine. It didn’t take long to noti...

Large-scale anti-government protests and collective aggression against leadership and government systems have increased in almost every region of the world since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. With more than 30 significant demonstrations in 26 countries targeting COVID-19 restrictions, the year 2020 was aptly described as “the year of pro...

It is now nearly a year since Delhi and India went into a complete and total lockdown on the 24th of March 2020 for three months. This note is being posted nearly 6 months later than intended. I call this lockdown procrastination. August 2020 – An up-close and personal glimpse into the price of “development” On the afternoon of the 6th of ...

It has been one full year since the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a global pandemic. As most of you will know, while the health impact so far has been bad enough, the social and economic fallout of the pandemic also had a negative impact on gender equality. To be honest, it does not surprise me that COVID-19 has disproportionately ...

‘We all leap forward when one woman tries, When she defies with her valiant cries, Here lies but does not rest, The best of test women, who call us all to rise’ — Youth Poet Laureate, Amanda Gorman March 8 each year (even in 2021!) is celebrated as International Women’s Day. The theme for 2021 is apt and relevant, “Women in Leadership...

Of all the fault lines Covid-19 has exposed in global health, the need to address obesity has emerged as an unexpected but urgently important one. A new report from the World Obesity Federation shows that a shocking 2.2 million of the 2.5 million (or 90%) of global deaths were in countries with high levels of obesity.  It is estimated that aroun...

In the run-up to International Women’s Day 2021, and in light of recent gains made in the global menstrual justice policy space, we present the Pandemic Periods Collective – who are on a mission to elevate the voices of those experiencing period poverty during COVID-19.   As we enter the second year of the COVID-19 pandemic, and governments are ...

There has been much hype recently around the potential of digital technologies to curb the Covid-19 pandemic, save lives and help societies return to normality. At the same time, critics voice concerns about how the digital response to the pandemic may extend state surveillance and exacerbate inequalities through the exclusion of vulnerable grou...

“After the survey in the area, we felt that we could not leave this settlement unattended. In Kallodi there was a vacancy for an Anganwadi teacher. I was asked to go to that place. But my mind was reluctant to leave this place. The then Panchayath President  and the Ward member  were not ready to let me go to this place. It was such a problemati...