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What does it take to operationalise gender transformative approaches across different African contexts?
(Women's Health and Action Research Centre, 2025) Amde, Woldekidan; George, Asha; Jacobs, Tanya; Mjijelwa, Vuyolwethu; Schaay, Nichola
Africa is the second largest and second most populous continent in the world. Governed by 54 recognised sovereign states, its people celebrate multiple traditions and speak countless dialects and languages apart from those inherited by varied colonial legacies. Despite historical and ongoing debts, it has one of the fastest growing global economies and vast natural resources. Its full potential, however, is not realized due in part to the lack of progress and regression on gender equality and sexual and reproductive health and rights. The inertia and, in some contexts, the pushback on gender equality and sexual and reproductive health and rights are alarming and unprecedented.1 Thirty years after Beijing, sub-Saharan African women experience the highest rates of intimate partner or sexual violence. Of the 20 countries with the highest rates of child marriage, 15 are in Africa (WHO).4,5 There is also a pushback in terms of sexual rights across the continent, whether in terms of contestations regarding female genital cutting in the Gambia or Kenya, or further restrictions, including increased criminalisation, of those who are not exclusively heterosexual in Ghana, Kenya, Namibia, Niger, Tanzania, and Uganda.
Shaping the African research agenda for gender transformative approaches to sexual and reproductive health and rights: A scoping review taking stock to re-align and move forward
(Women's Health and Action Research Centre, 2025) George, Asha; Amde, Woldekidan; Jacobs, Tanya
Given the imminent threats to gender equality, it is critical to take stock of what is documented in terms of gender transformative approaches supporting sexual and reproductive health and rights across the African continent. This scoping review found 52 articles published between 2012-2022 from PubMed and Scopus. We describe the geographic distribution, terms, the conceptual frameworks and social theories used, program areas, target populations and intervention approaches, as well as study designs and outcomes found. While a substantial body of evidence on gender and sexual and reproductive health and rights across Africa is building, it remains skewed geographically, programmatically, and analytically. More rigorous research is needed about the dynamics of shifting gender power relations undertaken in partnership with social movements and practitioners who can ensure more ownership and accountability for gender justice in sexual and reproductive health and rights in Africa over the long term.
Reconstructed wood carbon aerogel with single-atom sites for flexible Zn–air batteries
(American Chemical Society, 2025) Iwuoha Emmanuel; Chen, Zehong; Zhong, Linxin
Single-atom catalysts (SACs) have become vital air cathodes for metal−air batteries, but fabricating monolithic SACs with high catalytic activity and mechanical strength is currently lacking. Herein, an all-natural wood carbon aerogel with single-atom sites is reconstructed via modulating the multi-interactions within lignocellulosic components. Cellulose nanofiber (CNF) constitutes an oriented scaffold via physical interweaving and strong electrostatic repulsion, while lignosulfonate, acting as a multifunctional bioligand, coordinates with metal ions and forms hydrogen bonds with CNF to prevent the agglomeration of adjacent metal atoms. The resulting carbon aerogel features a biomimetic channel-ordered microstructure with M−N4 active sites (M = Cu, Fe, and Co), leading to outstanding mechanical elasticity and oxygen reduction and evolution activities with a half-wave potential of 0.881 V. Therefore, the SA-Cu@NCA-based aqueous Zn−air battery (ZAB) exhibits a high specific capacity of 779.3 mA h g−1 and long-term stability, while the flexible ZAB with SA-Cu@NCA as an integrated cathode delivers a high specific capacity and impressive operating stability even under harsh structural deformations. This study presents a viable approach for the sustainable production of flexible SACs for wearable and portable electronics.
Inadequate last-mile pharmaceutical waste management is a neglected threat to environmental and public health: a call to action
(BMJ Publishing Group, 2025) Ravinetto, Raffaella; Coetzee, Renier; Bradley, Hazel
In 2024, the WHO’s Division on Access to Medicines and Health Products issued a call to action for sustainability in the pharmaceutical sector. The initiative, ‘Greener Pharmaceuticals’ Regulatory Highway’, underscored the need to reduce the environmental footprint of medical products. It explicitly called on the regulatory community to adopt initiatives towards ‘innovative approaches in the manufacturing, distribution, and usage of medical products. This timely initiative aligns with the growing recognition of interconnectedness between climate change, pollution— including ‘pharmaceutical pollution’—and public health. However, the need to decrease greenhouse gas emissions should not overshadow other relevant areas for action in the pharmaceutical sector. Here, we focus on the negative environmental impact of the inappropriate elimination of pharmaceutical waste generated at the last mile in healthcare
Supporting children and their families in Gauteng public schools: the roles of school social workers
(Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (MDPI), 2025) Sithole, Mbongeni Shadrack; Khumalo, Gift; Ngcobo, Nolwazi
School social work practice in the South African context is a growing field; however, there is limited research regarding the roles and responsibilities of school social workers, particularly in the Gauteng province. This province is unique in that school social workers are employed by multiple institutions, including individual schools and the education and social development departments. This study aimed to explore and describe the roles and responsibilities of school social workers in the Gauteng province, recognizing them as critical specialists in addressing learners’ psychosocial needs within school settings. An explorative qualitative design was used in this study. Data were collected from 22 purposively selected participants, comprising school social workers, supervisors, and provincial managers of school social work programs. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to collect data, and thematic analysis was employed to identify themes. The findings revealed context-specific roles of school social workers, including the creation of conducive teaching and learning environments, advocacy for social justice and child protection, conducting interviews and psychosocial assessments, providing counseling and trauma debriefing, conducting home visits and offering family services, removing abused learners from harmful environments, including their respective homes, and providing parental skills training and support. As a conclusion, this study highlights the need for standardized national and provincial guidelines to formalize and support school social work practice. It is recommended that the identified roles be incorporated into future practice frameworks. Furthermore, it is suggested that a uniform assessment tool be developed to promote consistency and guide school social workers in the initial evaluation processes.