One Thred News

13/01/2023

As with much of Sub-Saharan Africa, Togo is in tough economic climes due to the covid pandemic, the Russia-Ukraine conflict, rising food and energy prices, and rising levels of public debt. In an effort to mitigate the rising cost of living in Togo, the government spent almost CFA 120 billion (USD 199 million) on fiscal measures in 2022. The measures include, tax exemptions for informal business owners in markets, price caps on local and imported food items, and subsidies for fertiliser, petroleum products and school supplies.

The first minimum wage increase in 10 years – from CFA 35,000 (USD 58) to CFA 52,500 (USD 87) – came into effect on 1 January 2023, and the government plans to take more steps to strengthen social inclusion and improve the country’s business environment through the year.

The measures are, however, minimally improving the everyday lives of Togolese, and the country’s lowest earners continue to struggle to make ends meet.

“I don’t like working as a zemidjan,” says Assigbe Yao, a 36-year-old motorcycle taxi driver in Lomé. “Many passengers are rude, we are not respected, and we work for long hours under the sun.”

“I make about CFA 5,000 (USD 8) daily,” he adds. “It is not enough to support my family. Everything is more expensive. Some prices have doubled. We cannot afford little pleasures. We have just enough for necessities. This is not a life.”

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Read Assigbe’s story on the site - link in bio.

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10/01/2023

For as long as I can remember, since I came here, got married and had children, there have not been improvements in electricity availability.

Living without light is hard. We cook food using the wood I collect from the bush. My neighbours also use wood for cooking.

My husband is a drunkard. Let alone helping me, it would be nice if he stopped beating me. Life was better when my husband was not an alcoholic.

I don’t know why he drinks. All I know is that he returns home drunk every day.

I am weak and can not defend myself. My body has had to endure this life of carrying wood. Even though I approached the police and local legal authorities, they weren’t able to do anything for me. The police have repeatedly advised him to change his behaviour, but he hasn’t changed. Suffering and abuse by my husband are part of my daily life.

My joy comes from my children and from helping people in need. When I meet hungry people, I welcome them into my house and feed them. I have great relationships within the community and community members like me. That gives me great pleasure.

We should all love each other so that the world can be a better place.

- Lelisse

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Read Lelisse’s full story on the site - link in bio.

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10/01/2023

Ethiopia has in recent years made steady progress towards achieving universal electricity access nationwide, however, roughly half of the estimated 120 million population currently lack access to electricity. In rural areas, where almost 80 percent of the population lives, electrification rates are around 40 percent, based on data from the World Bank.

Through the National Electrification Programme launched in 2017, the government plans to achieve 100 percent electrification by 2025 (65 percent through the grid and 35 percent through off-grid technologies). Mega projects like the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam – which began partial power production in February 2022 and is at the centre of a decade-long dispute with the Nile river downstream countries of Egypt and Sudan – and the Koysha Hydro Power Plant, are expected to more than double Ethiopia’s power generation capacity.

Lelisse Megersa, 45, like many Ethiopians, has high hopes for the dam. She was born in Jida in the Oromia region, and moved to the capital, Addis Ababa at 16. She sells firewood for a living. Lelisse also contends with an abusive and unsupportive husband.

Globally, one in three women experience physical or sexual violence, mostly by an intimate partner. In Ethiopia, 35 percent of ever married women aged 15-49 experience physical, emotional or sexual violence from their partner, with 68 percent agreeing that wife-beating can be justified, according to UNFPA.

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Read Lelisse’s story on the site - link in bio.

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One Thred News amplifies the voices of the most vulnerable people in Africa and Asia, even after the news cycle has moved on. We share stories of hope, resilience and interconnection, told directly by those involved. We believe that news should be structured and told based on the fact that, we, huma

09/01/2023

Pakistan contributes almost nothing to global warming – bearing in mind our population of about 231 million – compared to industrialised countries like Russia and Canada, which have relatively low population densities, yet are amongst the biggest contributors to global warming. The United States, China, and some European countries are also big contributors to climate change. Although these countries have benefited from industrialisation, they don’t have to deal as much with the cost of climate change.

And this so-called ‘globalised world’ doesn’t consider that the life of an individual from the global north is equal to the life of an individual from the global south.

It is the duty of global powers to take climate change seriously, discuss it in international forums and work towards solutions.

- Muhammad Hussain

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Read his story on the site - link in bio.

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09/01/2023

The Government of Pakistan and the United Nations co-hosted the International Conference on Climate in Geneva on 9 January. The event took place following the devastating floods in Pakistan last year, which affected around 33 million people, left one-third of the country submerged, and saw the fatality of more than 1,700 people – a third of whom were children.

The conference brought together governments, public and private sector leaders, and civil society to present a strategy for Pakistan’s rehabilitation and reconstruction, and secure international support for building the country’s climate resilience and adaptation.

The recent floods in Pakistan highlighted the country’s vulnerability to climate change: despite contributing under 1 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions in 2018, Pakistan is amongst the top 10 countries most affected by climate change worldwide.

While looking ahead to sustainably and inclusively rebuild, it is important to consider the experiences and perspectives of those who survived the 2022 floods in Pakistan, and beyond.
Muhammad Hussain is a 25-year-old DevOps engineer from Rajanpur District who has been living in Pakistan’s capital Islamabad for the past eight years. Muhammad has seven siblings and was in his early teens when his family lost their home and farmland in the 2010 floods. He shares his experience of the 2010 floods and its aftermath, perspectives on climate change, and rebuilding following the 2022 floods.

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Read the story on the site - link in bio.

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21/12/2022

(4/4) Load shedding has taken a terrible toll on us. We don’t have electricity most of the day. The problem has been going on for a long time. And if there is no electricity, then our water doesn’t run. Our lives are being so severely disrupted. Along with other families in our Malda colony, my family is suffering.

I stay up all night with my young children sometimes, unable to sleep. I have a respiratory illness. My children are frequently sick. I can’t work during the day because I am unwell and don’t have electricity, which then means I don’t have an income. Given my struggle for food, medicine is a fantasy! Treatment is very expensive.

When there was no load shedding, I could do a lot of work. My income was fairly good. Now, I can’t be as active as I used to be.

I am not very educated but think that if the Russian-Ukraine war stops, then the energy crisis might be to some extent resolved.

I appeal to the world to stop the war. Your war has affected my country, Bangladesh. We are enduring a severe electricity crisis. We are living inhumanely.

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Read Julie's full story on the site - link in bio.

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21/12/2022

(3/4) We were fine after we got married. We guarded a garage in Rajshahi and lived there together. However, during the covid period last year, the garage owner reduced his monthly salary from BDT 10,000 (USD 94) to 7,000 (USD 66). My ex-husband thereafter left that job and returned to his village. I lived in Noapara with him for about three months, until he eloped with my younger brother’s wife in February.

My brother thought that his wife had simply gone out and would return. When she didn’t, he went out every day to look for her. She was found with my ex-husband about 10 days later, with the help of the local ward commissioner and police. I was devastated when I found out they were married. I felt as though the sky was covered in thick black clouds. I felt helpless and lonely. I was alone.

My younger brother cried a lot. Their young son needed his mother.

I previously suspected my ex-husband and my brother’s wife were having an affair; neighbours also told me as much, but I couldn’t believe it.

I returned to the Malda colony, where my parents are, with our two children. I have no contact with him presently. He has no contact with our children.

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Read Julie's full story on the site - link in bio.

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21/12/2022

(2/4) My grandfather came to the Malda refugee colony in Rajshahi city, Bangladesh from Malda, India before 1971, when Bangladesh and Pakistan were still one state. I was told that there were many clashes between Hindus and Muslims in India around that time; he took refuge here. My parents raised my sister, brother and I here.

Life in the colony is very hard. It is so densely populated; it is difficult to move around. There are no spaces for children to play. There is also a water problem.

My ex-husband, 30, used to work as a night guard at a rickshaw garage in Rajshahi city. I didn’t know him or anything about him before marriage because he lived far away in another district [Noapara village, Jessore district]. I was married into his family in 2016.

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Read Julie's full story on the site - link in bio.

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21/12/2022

(1/4) Protests have been on the rise in Bangladesh in recent months. On the weekend of 10 December, tens of thousands of protesters took to the streets of Bangladesh’s capital, , to demand the resignation of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasana. The anti-government protest was triggered by ongoing power outages – in the backdrop of a fragile economy, rising food and fuel prices, and political tensions.

Global economic shocks resulting from the covid pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine war have plunged Bangladesh into an energy crisis. A decline in garment exports and remittance inflows have strained the country’s foreign exchange reserve. At the same time, the increased cost of natural gas – on which Bangladesh depends on for almost three-quarters of its power generation – has led the government to turn to load shedding, amongst other measures (including, increasing fuel prices by 40-50 percent, which has had a domino effect across the country’s economy).

Julie Khatun, 25, was born and raised in Rajshahi city, near the Bangladesh-India border. She stopped school at grade six. She makes a living from tailoring and has two children: a son, Mohammad (7), and a daughter, Habiba (1).

Her words are in the posts to follow.

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08/12/2022

(4/4) The new government will have to grapple with empty public coffers: bright plans will likely take time to achieve because they will have to first generate funding. Nonetheless, plugging leakages in the government purse will be helpful.

The Business Licensing and Regulation Act passed earlier this year lists 47 business activities that can only be engaged in by indigenous Basotho. [They include: fast food, hairdressing and beauty treatments, maintenance and repair of vehicles, road transport and logistics, the growing of fruits and vegetables, and many others]. If the new premiership can enforce that, then Chinese businesses will have less of a foothold, and more of the money generated in-country will remain in Lesotho.

In five to ten years, I would like to have a viable economy, with increased productivity and jobs for Basotho, and less dependence on .

I want to see the PM lead. I want him to be a firm leader who does not get swayed by distractions. He must stay focused on implementing the vision he has for Lesotho.

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Read Bataung’s full story on the site - link in bio.

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08/12/2022

(3/4) Corruption is the biggest challenge that we face in Lesotho. It’s rife. We have been in this situation for the longest time, and anti-corruption bodies have had minimal impact. Tenders are usually awarded through bribery or nepotism. The traffic police do not issue fines, instead they solicit bribes. Any fines and penalties that should be disbursed to the government are pocketed by policemen. Ordinary people who do not want to partake in bribery are forced to, otherwise everyday life could be made more difficult.

We are a disgruntled nation. Successive politicians have promised to make things better, but didn’t. We gave them authority to rule our country and progress it, only to be left disappointed.

The new party formed by Sam Matekane, who is now the Prime Minister, has given us hope. Given that he is a very prominent businessman, we are hopeful that he will apply his successes in entrepreneurship to our economy. We are not sure if he is the right candidate, but at the very least, we expect that he won’t misappropriate public funds.

The PM will need to be very firm on pushing through reforms, stamping out corruption, and creating jobs. I think he stands a better chance than other leaders because he seems to view his role as an opportunity to serve the country, rather than as a job you get paid for.

The PM said in his inauguration speech that he wanted to make Lesotho great again, less dependent on foreign funding, and curb unnecessary spending.

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Read Bataung’s full story on the site - link in bio.

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08/12/2022

(2/4) Lesotho is a small country. Our economy isn’t big enough to care for citizens. We are a consumer economy, highly dependent on South Africa for goods – over 80 per cent of which are imported from South Africa. Therefore, whatever happens to South Africa’s economy, affects ours. Secondly, we are reliant on Southern Africa Customs Union (SACU) revenue, which means that if economic performance is low in the SACU region [Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Namibia and South Africa], our national budget is affected. Thirdly, political instability affects our economy; for example, the tussle for power in the previous ruling party.

COVID-19 lockdowns affected the business environment in Lesotho; many businesses were forced to shut down. The pandemic was quickly followed by the Russia-Ukraine war, which spiralled the cost of commodities and household necessities. Even the price of fuel has skyrocketed, making public transportation more expensive. Our quality of life has really deteriorated.

I used to drive to work every day, but now I mainly use public taxis. I only drive my vehicle when I absolutely need to because fuel is very expensive. Inflation has reduced the purchasing power of my salary. My family and friends are feeling the same pinch. Most people are focused on meeting their needs, not their wants. A lot of people in my age group are unemployed.

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Read Bataung’s full story on the site - link in bio.

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