News stories by Mercedes Sayagues

MAPUTO, Sep 14 (IPS) - 'Think Bigger', urge the colourful posters on the walls of Ideario, an innovation hub in Chamanculo, a modest neighbourhood in Maputo, Mozambique's capital. The message is right on target for the new female trainees, eager eyes glued to laptop screens as they learn internet and computer skills.

MAPUTO, Oct 31 (IPS) - The woman on bed 27 in Maputo Central Hospital's oncology ward has no idea how lucky she is. In January, when abdominal pains wracked her, a pharmacist suggested pain killers. For months, "the pain would go and return," she told IPS. 

If you live in São Tomé, a good investment in your health is to plant a po-sabom tree (Dracaena aroborea) in your backyard. Leave space: it can grow up to 20 metres high, with sword-shaped leaves.

Laws against female genital mutilation are driving the practice underground and across borders, says a UNIFEM study published last year.