Kenya: Mobile banking seduces masses
Neville Omondi, Nairobi, Kenya- Banking in Kenya is no longer a challenge to the ordinary Kenyan thanks to the booming of mobile banking. The previously tedious application process that largely depended on the financial status of the applier is ending. The mobile banking service allows people to deposit and withdraw money using their mobile handset. View the video

Arusha car tragedy: 16 dead – 17 injured
Abisae Maeda, Arusha, Tanzania - 16 people lost their lives last Thursday when a truck and a bus crashed into one another on the Nduruma Bridge some 12km from Arusha town. Traffic along the usually busy Arusha-Moshi road came to a standstill at 3pm when the two cars both driving to Moshi collided. The accident left the bus dangling dangerously at the edge of the bridge while the lorry owned by Bonite Bottles Ltd flew into the river with the empty bottles. View the video

The faces of Africa

Olivier Nyirubugara -This second issue of 2009 shows an exciting image of Africa by African reporters. On the one hand one can see the legendary African solidarity in northern Tanzania, where a car accident killed dozens. The inhabitants left their activities to rescue those who could be rescued pending the coming of ambulances. In that same area, one sees another facet of Africa, namely hard work. Mama John is proud for her cattle breeding which allows her to live a decent life. A few hundreds kilometres to the north, precisely in neighbouring Kenya, a special initiative is highlighted by reporter Agnes Wambui. A Nairobi resident gathers plastic and metal wastes for recycling and earns money by doing so. Africa is not just problems! It’s also hope and work.

Kenya: The recycling business
Agnes Wambui, Nairobi, Kenya- Moses Muchugu, a Nairobi resident, has been earning his daily bread from scrap. He buys scrap plastic and metal materials and resells them to recycling factories. Muchugu says that both the seller and he make profit out of the trade. He is far from complaining his business, thanks to which he maintains his family and pays for his children’s education.View the video

Olivier Nyirubugara
Project Coordinator

Kenya: Tobacco trade declines
Irene Wamaru, Nakuru, Kenya - Over the last few months, the Kenyan ministry of health has embarked on a health campaign that is meant from dissuading smokers from the habit. The campaign involves large postings of warnings on tobaccos harmful effects on a consumer's health and a total ban on cigarette advertisements. View the video

Dar es Salaam: Our word to Obama
Deo Simba, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania - Like the rest of the world, Tanzanians have celebrated the inauguration of the first ever black president of the United States of America, Barack Obama. As this mobile report on street impressions in Dar es Salaam shows, the ordinary Tanzanian expects president Obama to increase support to Africa, and to contribute to global peace. View the video

Arusha: Drought hinders reforestation
Joseph Aron Alam, Arusha, Tanzania - The unusual absence of rain that has affected the Arumeru region in the north of Tanzania has forced the government re-forestation efforts to stop. The last rains date back to about four months ago and the consequences are not only felt in the agricultural and environmental sectors, but also in the villagers’ pockets as hundreds were expecting to be hired for the job.View the video

Deo Simba,
Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

Kenya: Displaced compensation still unpaid
Irene Wamaru, Nakuru, Kenya - When violence first broke out in December 2007 following disputed presidential polls in Kenya, more than 350,000 people were left homeless as they fled blood letting gangs. However, many more fled their homes for safe abode in the homes of relatives, friends and well-wishers.View the video

Coffee farming becomes less seductive
Abisae Maeda, Arusha, Tanzania- Farmers in the northern Tanzania region of Meru, near Arusha are disappointed by the little income generated by coffee. Until recently, coffee was the most important revenue generator in the region and the backbone of the entire local economy. The origin of farmers’ disappointment is most likely the lack of control over prices, which results in low prices that do not compensate for their efforts. View the video