Hurricane Matthew Hits Haiti
As Hurricane Matthew touches down in Florida, much of the news focus has shifted away from those countries that it passed earlier in the week. One of those countries, Haiti, was hit hard by this huge storm.
As responders start to reach some of the worst affected areas, the scale of the disaster is being seen. More than 800 people are now reported to have lost their lives, and 350,000 people are in need of immediate assistance.
ActionAid’s local staff are on the ground supporting communities affected, working with networks of women from local communities to make sure help reaches those that need it most. You can help support their work here.
International Climate Change Agreement will enter into Force on November 4
India and a number of European countries formally approved the international climate change agreement this week, meaning that sufficient countries have now made commitments to allow the agreement to enter into force. Fifty-five countries representing at least 55% of global emissions were needed for the agreement to take effect.
President Obama hailed the news as “a turning point for our planet”.
Pakistan’s First Female Truck Driver
Shamim Akhtar, a truck driver from Islamabad, Pakistan, rose to international attention this week following a story that showed her to be her country’s first female truck driver.
After she lost her job as a vocational teacher, Shamim took up truck driving to earn money to look after her kids. “Someone once said: ‘A lady cannot drive, she is weak’. Well, it’s not like I have to carry the truck on my head”, she says.