Hi everyone, we have an update on our podcast about the malaria vaccine. Since the beginning of August, we’ve been working with Sydney-based sound nerds Audiocraft to figure out the best way to bring this epic story to life. When you’re talking about one of the biggest global health interventions in history, the hard part isn’t finding the storyline—it’s choosing which one to follow. There are so many moving parts.
After many Zoom sessions, intercontinental phone calls and emails, we've narrowed it down to one location, Sierra Leone, which received its first doses in December 2023 and was one of the first places to start a nationwide rollout. We want to create a great story that people want to keep listening to, without any whiff of 'worthiness.' So we've decided to focus on what we think is the real cliffhanger—what happens after the vaccine leaves the labs and arrives on the ground.
Here's the post-it version we've stuck up on the wall.
In another piece of important news, we've found an African-based co-host for the series. She’s a mother and an award-winning journalist who brings a wealth of lived experience. We'll introduce you to her soon.
Oh, and we are looking for funding partners. Do you feel like your foundation or organisation might like to support this story getting out into the world? If so, then get in touch.
Infant mortality rates have plummeted over the last 50 years
Globally, infant mortality rates have dropped by more than two-thirds, from approximately 10% in 1974 to less than 3% today. A recent study published in The Lancet attributes much of this decline to increased access to essential vaccines, which are estimated to have reduced infant mortality by 40% over the past 50 years, saving the lives of around 150 million children. Our World In Data
Children in London are walking or cycling to school more
Researchers have found that schoolchildren living in London’s Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) were nearly four times as likely to switch to walking and cycling compared to those living outside the zone. The clean air policy has substantially reduced levels of harmful nitrogen oxides and particulate matter in central London since its introduction in April 2019. University of Cambridge
'Clean India Mission' saves the lives of 70,000 infants annually
A US-led study analysing data from 640 districts shows that India's national sanitation programme, Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, has significantly reduced infant and child mortality rates. Following its rollout a decade ago, districts where more than 30% of households gained access to constructed toilets saw a 5.3% decline in the infant mortality rate and a 6.8% decline in the under-five mortality rate. NDTV
Transforming water and sanitation access in the DRC
The DRC has one of the world's lowest rates of access to basic water and sanitation services. A new USAID-World Bank agreement is aiming to provide basic water access to 12 million people and basic sanitation to 8 million across nine provinces. If successful, this would be one of the biggest water and sanitation projects in Africa's history. World Bank
Vietnam’s credit policies a 'pillar' of poverty reduction
Social policy credit provided by the Vietnam Bank for Social Policies has contributed to lowering the poverty rate from 14.2% to 4.25% between 2011 and 2015, and from 9.88% to 2.23% between 2016 and 2021. The program has helped more than 4.2 million people find jobs, and over 610,000 students have been supported through loans. Vietnam Plus
The fight to wipe out the Philippines' final malaria stronghold
The Philippines has limited malaria transmission to just one region in the country, going from over 48,000 cases in 2003 to just over 6,000 ten years later. The Telegraph has a great insider look into the work going into eliminating malaria in the country completely via efforts in remote Indigenous communities where transmission still occurs. Telegraph
South Asia records significant trend reversal in pollution levels
The region saw a decline in pollution of 18% from 2021 to 2022, with the highest declines observed in Bangladesh, followed by India and Nepal. This is the largest single-year decline for a region since data collection began in 1998. If pollution in South Asia had continued to rise in line with the past two decades, global pollution levels would not have decreased from 2021 to 2022. AQLI
Ghana passes long-awaited gender equality bill
Parliament unanimously passed the Affirmative Action (Gender Equality) Bill in August, following decades of campaigning by women’s rights activists and allies. The bill aspires to achieve gender equality in decision-making by 2030 by making it compulsory to have women elected or appointed to major decision-making organs of public life and promoting policies and programs to effectively address social, cultural, economic, and political gender imbalances. The Conversation
India’s queer community can now open joint bank accounts
In October 2023, the Supreme Court recommended that queer partners be allowed to open joint bank accounts and name their partner as a nominee to receive the balance if they die. The government has now confirmed this information in an advisory, noting that the Reserve Bank of India has issued a clarification to all scheduled commercial banks. Business Standard
The IRS collects $1.3 billion in unpaid taxes in the US
In 2023, the IRS launched initiatives targeting high-wealth tax dodgers with over $1 million in income and $250,000 in tax debt. Nearly 80% of the 1,600 millionaires targeted have made payments. A new 2024 effort has recovered $172 million from 21,000 wealthy taxpayers who haven’t filed returns since 2017. The IRS credits enhanced enforcement to increased funding from Biden’s 2022 climate, healthcare, and tax package. ABC
A quarter of Gazan children have been vaccinated against polio
The World Health Organization has vaccinated more than 161,000 children under ten in central Gaza in the first two days of its mass campaign to prevent the spread of polio within Gaza and its borders. Health workers will now move on to southern Gaza, where they are aiming to reach some 340,000 children, followed by northern Gaza. Reuters
More good news you probably didn't hear about
- Since 2018, the World Bank has helped nearly 95 million women receive skilled attendance at birth through project investments in 47 LMICs.
- The Central African Republic has become the fourth country to introduce the R21 malaria vaccine, aiming to vaccinate 200,000 children in 2024.
- A Scottish charity that started in a shed in the Highlands is now reaching 110,000 children in Tigray, Ethiopia, with its school meal programme.
- Teen vaping in the United States has dropped to its lowest level in a decade.
- US traffic fatalities are on track to drop for a third consecutive year, with the Transportation Department announcing $1-billion for road safety projects.
- Kidney donation in the US has become even safer: today's mortality rate is 0.9 per 10,000 people, down from 3 per 10,000 in the 1990s.
- The Asian Development Bank has approved $936 million for water supply services and basic hygiene facilities in rural Cambodia.
- Rwanda’s Volcano Belt Water Supply System Project will provide 354,000 people in the Musanze, Nyabihu, and Rubavu districts with clean water.
- Mozambique has launched an ambitious plan to implement the UN's Early Warnings for All initiative nationwide by the end of 2027.
- Mauritania's social protection programmes have benefited thousands of women and children.
- Average household spending on food in India has dropped to less than half of monthly expenditure for the first time.
- Bangladesh’s interim government has signed the UN convention against forced disappearance.
- How open trade saved us from a global food crisis: despite the apocalyptic headlines, global markets for basic food commodities are almost back to normal.
Waves of change
One of the most memorable human rights victories of 2023 was the decriminalisation of homosexuality in the Cook Islands. As anyone who's visited that part of the world knows, Christianity is very much a part of the cultural fabric, which made us wonder: how exactly did these activists manage to pull this one off?
As soon as we started digging, we came across the name of Valery Wichman, a leading LGBTQI+ lawyer who was on the forefront of the fight. We knew straight away that we wanted to get her on the podcast, and we're delighted to now be able to share our conversation with her.
What's striking is that she identifies her own faith as the thing that kept her going throughout the 13-year battle to achieve this landmark legal victory. This story is a powerful testament to what's possible when you approach those who disagree with you with respect—and how love and kindness always have the power to change the world.
