Tommy Trenchard

South African villages are being ravaged by illegal chrome mining

30 October 2023

8 minutes

Industrial-scale illegal mining is destroying villages in South Africa and now accounts for ten per cent of all chrome produced by the country – the world’s biggest supplier of the ore, which is essential for stainless steel production Amid the din of heavy machinery, a dozen men and women wearing Wellington boots and balaclavas slowly pick their way along the edge of a … [Read more...] about South African villages are being ravaged by illegal chrome mining

Cambodia’s Tonlé Sap Lake is running out of fish

17 October 2023

8 minutes

While a dwindling number of people continue to eke out a life fishing in Cambodia’s once bountiful Tonlé Sap lake, many more have been forced to leave for the sweatshops of nearby Phnom Penh or hard labour on plantations in Thailand It’s early morning in the village of Oakol on Cambodia’s Tonlé Sap lake and the chatter of children’s voices mingles with the rhythmic swish … [Read more...] about Cambodia’s Tonlé Sap Lake is running out of fish

The Phelophepa: South Africa’s train of hope

31 May 2023

9 minutes

This unique hospital train provides much-needed affordable medical care in South Africa's remote areas The railway station in the town of Thaba Nchu in South Africa’s Free State Province is usually a sleepy spot. Passenger trains stopped coming here long ago, and only the occasional freight train now passes through on its way to the provincial capital, … [Read more...] about The Phelophepa: South Africa’s train of hope

A lethal legacy of landmines in Angola

28 November 2022

12 minutes

More than 1,000 minefields still need to be cleared in Angola. Tommy Trenchard joins the HALO Trust team undertaking the dangerous task of making what was once the home of some of the largest herds of elephants in Africa safe for locals, tourists and wildlife From the window of a single-engine Cessna at 6,000 feet, it’s easy to see why Angolans call this part of their … [Read more...] about A lethal legacy of landmines in Angola

The people saving South Africa’s last penguins

7 October 2022

9 minutes

Tommy Trenchard spends time with the conservationists working hard to protect South Africa's last penguins On a breezy summer day at the southern tip of Africa, David Roberts places the end of his stethoscope gently against the beating chest of his latest patient. Listening for a moment, he nods in apparent satisfaction before moving over to inspect the patient’s feet, … [Read more...] about The people saving South Africa’s last penguins