With longer life spans and better health and education, many feel that giving birth to a baby a mere couple of decades after they themselves were in the cradle is a little premature.

As a species, we tend to be doers, forever shaping and reshaping the world to better suit our purposes.

From Mozambique to Chad, South Africa and Liberia, Sierra Leone to Burkina Faso, feminism is the buzzword for a generation of women determined to change the course of the future for themselves and their families.

Kids are like glue: they can bond together, unlikely companions, even when there is little else left to maintain the connection.

Nothing can prepare you for the all-consuming nature of motherhood, and I am very aware of my good fortune, as I spent years fretting about whether I'd ever meet anyone to have a baby with.

For many, long-term friendships, rather than family ties, are the foundations for sustainable lives.