Clockwise from top left: Michael Gonzalez, US ambassador to Zambia, at a May news conference when he announced a $50 million cut in aid to the country for drugs and medical supplies. After 29 minutes, he was wiping away tears: “I cried about this because I know it won't be high-ranking officials or high-ranking people who will suffer…. I know it will be a poor family in rural Zambia whose child will get malaria and they won't have access to anti-malarial drugs.” An award-winning drone photograph shows the Artemia pleasure boat stuck on the dry bed of Lake Urmia in Iran. Dusty street in Kabwe, Zambia. City dust is still heavily contaminated with lead after nearly 100 years of lead mining and smelting, which eventually ceased in 1994. Lead poisoning continues to affect thousands of people. Florence Amungo, 34, is a South Sudanese refugee now living in the Palabek refugee settlement in northern Uganda. Amungo participated in a program designed to help people “escape” poverty, but then learned that the program had been cut. She hoped to raise pigs to feed her family of 14 — her husband, five biological children and other children she cares for.
Clockwise from top left: US Embassy in Zambia; Mohammad Atai Mohammadi; Claire Harbidge/NPR; Tommy Trenchard for NPR
hide signature
switch signature
Clockwise from top left: US Embassy in Zambia; Mohammad Atai Mohammadi; Claire Harbidge/NPR; Tommy Trenchard for NPR
There has been a lot of news this year. MANY. The Trump administration has initiated seismic changes in the world of foreign aid, with dramatic impacts on health care and anti-poverty programs. Terrible (and sometimes ancient) viruses were spreading.
But there were also moments of hope and beauty, such as the award-winning collection of drone photographs. This is all evident in our selection of the stories with the most page views in 2025. Here are the most popular stories from our global coverage of health and development issues at Goats and Soda.
An ancient disease returns again
Cholera affects Africa. It is a disease that can be easily controlled with proper treatment. But without medical care, patients can quickly die.
The country has the fastest growing cancer incidence (and mortality) in the world.
Cancer rates in the tiny country are soaring, according to a new report. What causes this? And what steps can be taken to turn the situation around?
They were promised a lifeline to “get out” of poverty. Then they took him away
Thousands of South Sudanese refugees and impoverished local Ugandans have seen a brighter future thanks to a new USAID-funded project. They will receive $205 and training to build a business. Then came the cuts.
This may be the most lead-contaminated place on Earth. Is there hope?
The UN has identified Kabwe, a town of nearly 300,000 people in Zambia, as one of the most polluted places on the planet. Who's to blame? And is it possible to restore justice?
A forgotten form of diabetes with unusual symptoms finally gets its own name
An unusual type of diabetes associated with malnutrition has now been given a name. Scientists are calling for wider recognition of newly classified type 5 diabetes to encourage better treatment.
Drone photo winners that will blow your mind: from a tall horseman to a sacred river
The stunning aerial images that won the 2025 Siena Prize offer “new ways to see familiar places,” as one judge put it.
Why did the US Ambassador cry at a press conference?
Michael Gonzales, the ambassador to Zambia, announced at an emotional news conference that the US would cut aid by $50 million because of the drug theft.
I wanted to know why my mother was so strict with us children. So I finally asked
When Esther Ngumbi was a child growing up in Kenya, she was angry at her mother for being so hard on her. Now she is grateful, but she wondered if her mother understood how her children felt at that time?
He allowed snakes to bite him about 200 times to create the best antidote for snake bites.
Scientists have created a widely effective antivenom using the blood of a Wisconsin man who suffered fatal snake bites for years.
