OPINION: People with Disabilities Must Be Counted in the Fight Against HIV

Rashmi Chopra is a fellow in the Health and Human Rights Division at Human Rights Watch.

Monica Wambui, 37, who is deaf, receives HIV/AIDS information in sign language. Wambui was among more than 40 people with disabilities who attended a workshop organised by the USAID-funded APHIAplus Nuru ya Bonde project in Nakuru, Kenya. Credit: USAID/George Obanyi

NEW YORK, Nov 28 2014 (IPS) – Jane is a young Zambian mother with a physical disability in Lusaka, who uses a wheelchair to get around. She does not let clinics without ramps or without wheelchair accessible toilets and equipment stop her from claiming her right to health care, including HIV prevention services.

Nearly Half of Nepali Children Still Malnourished

Progress in reducing malnutrition has stalled. What can be done to ensure enough of the right food for all?

Mother’s group in Accham feed home-cooked meal to their children. Credit: MARTY LOGAN

KATHMANDU, Nov 8 2019 (IPS) – For the first two decades after 1990, Nepal took great strides in reducing malnutrition. But progress has stalled.

Nepal registered one of the most dramatic reductions in undernourishment among children and women after the government and international agencies took action in recent decades to reverse shocking statistics that showed .

“Nepal is the best country to showcase how political will can implement a multisectoral nutrition pr…

Surviving Domestic Violence in times of Covid19

The girls at greatest risk of early marriage are often those hardest to reach. They come from poor families, marginalized groups or rural areas. Credit: UNFPA-UNICEF Nepal/KPanday

NEW YORK, Apr 2 2020 (IPS) – “I come from Baglung District, a part of Dhawalagiri Zone in Nepal. My house overlooks the river. Do you know, our district is known for the suspension bridges?”, her eyes glimmer for a fraction of a second and then she breathes a heavy sigh! Her right hand is still wrapped in a scarf, while with the other she pats her 17-month-old. “If I ever get a chance I will take you to my village, we have a lot of medicinal plants.” She pauses while tears…

Mental Health at a Cost, Inequality

World Mental Health Day was on October 10, 2021. The theme for this year was Mental Health in an unequal World . This is an appropriate focus given the extreme inequities to access to mental health services that exist in our society.

Women are nearly twice as likely as men to suffer from mental illness, including depression. Credit: Unsplash /Melanie Wasser.

Oct 11 2021 (IPS) – was on October 10, 2021. The theme for this year was Mental Health in an unequal World . This is an appropriate focus given the extreme that exist in our society.

We are three providers committed to mental health equity across the globe-in India, Uganda and the United States. While…