Fighting FGM in Sierra Leone, Australia changes its national anthem, train carriage for Moscow’s stray pets

| Posted on January 4, 2021 |

Photo: Annie Spratt/Unsplash (CCO)

In today’s edition of Squirrel News, we’re talking about how a woman in Sierra Leona is tackling female genital mutilation by educating elderly women, Australia’s decision to recognise 60,000 years of Indigenous history in its national anthem, and a train carriage in Moscow’s metro system offering a lifeline to the city’s stray animals.

A woman is fighting FGM in Sierra Leone by educating elders

With the practice often carried out by elderly women, Rugiatu Turay’s method of engaging in conversation with senior members of the community seems to be working.

Source: Deutsche Welle

Australia changes its national anthem to reflect 60,000 years of Indigenous history

The lyrics have been tweaked to acknowledge the fact that native tribes lived on the island for millennia prior to British colonisation in 1788.

Source: CNN

Trivia quizzes are being used to fund the removal of plastic from our oceans

Advertising featured alongside Free The Ocean’s daily trivia questions funds ocean cleanup projects, removing on average one piece of plastic per answer submission.

Source: Treehugger

Not Amazon: Canadian website takes on the online giant

Ali Haberstroh’s directory lists nearly 4,000 independent businesses in Toronto, Halifax, Calgary and Vancouver, and is helping many of them survive COVID-19 lockdowns.

Source: The Guardian

A growing number of organisations are tackling election misinformation in Ghana

GhanaFact is fact-checking and challenging fake news stories in order to slow the spread of deceptive reports in print and social media.

Source: Africa News

Fishermen in the USA are teaming up with food banks to feed hungry families

With many fishermen losing income as a result of lower demand due to lockdown restaurant closures, food assistance programmes are tackling two problems with one solution.

Source: Goodnet

An initiative in Czechia is connecting families from different backgrounds

Next Door Family organises lunch meetings for those from different cultural backgrounds in order to promote conversation and mutual understanding.

Source: The Local

LedBy is India’s first and only incubator for Indian Muslim Women

The organisation supports women by providing leadership workshops, a 360 degree advisory framework and executive coaching.

Source: The Better India

Advancing Women Artists is shedding light on the Renaissance’s forgotten female artists

Since 2009, the nonprofit foundation has identified over 2000 artworks by women, restoring and exhibiting pieces to educate the public on the importance of women in art history.

Source: NPR

A Moscow train carriage is rehoming stray pets

QR codes found on metro posters provide information on pets in need of new owners, and currently links 13 Moscow shelters with thousands of commuters on a daily basis.

Source: BBC News