Malaka Gharib Malaka Gharib is the digital editor of the NPR podcast Life Kit.
Malaka Gharib headshot
Stories By

Malaka Gharib

Maro Mercene
Malaka Gharib headshot
Maro Mercene

Malaka Gharib

Digital Editor, Life Kit

Malaka Gharib is the digital editor of the NPR podcast Life Kit. Previously, she was the deputy editor and digital strategist on NPR's global health and development team, where she covered topics such as the refugee crisis, gender equality and women's health. Her work as part of NPR's reporting teams has been recognized with two Gracie Awards: in 2019 for How To Raise A Human, a series on global parenting, and in 2015 for #15Girls, a series that profiled teen girls around the world.

Gharib is also an award-winning cartoonist. She is the artist and author of I Was Their American Dream, about growing up as a first generation Filipino Egyptian American, and It Won't Always Be Like This, about her summers with her dad and stepmom in the Middle East. Her comics have been featured in the Los Angeles Times, Catapult Magazine, The Believer Magazine, The Nib, The New York Times and The New Yorker.

Before coming to NPR in 2015, Gharib worked at the Malala Fund, a global education charity founded by Malala Yousafzai, and the ONE Campaign, an anti-poverty advocacy group founded by Bono. She graduated from Syracuse University with a dual degree in journalism and marketing.

Story Archive

Friday

Palestinians evacuate the area following an Israeli airstrike on the Sousi mosque in Gaza City on October 9, 2023. Images of suffering, violence and death in Gaza and Israel have flooded the news since Oct. 7. MAHMUD HAMS/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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MAHMUD HAMS/AFP via Getty Images

Wednesday

The artist Maria Magdalena Campos-Pons is one of this year's MacArthur fellows. Her sculptures, paintings, installations and photography are displayed in over 30 museums around the globe. When she got news of the so-called "genius grant," she says, " I was running room to room in the house, feeling a sense of terror and elation." MacArthur Foundation hide caption

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MacArthur Foundation

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Wednesday

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The tricky obligations of utang na loob

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Tuesday

Wednesday

An self-portrait of Deena Mohamed, author of the graphic novel Shubeik Lubeik — a fantasy story of making wishes in modern-day Egypt. Deena Mohamed hide caption

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Deena Mohamed

Tuesday

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Don't 'get' art? You might be looking at it wrong

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Monday

Wednesday

Marina Heintze creates artwork to pay tribute to the family members she lost during the Holocaust. This piece is titled "Nana Rocks." Courtesy of Marina Heintze hide caption

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Courtesy of Marina Heintze

8 listeners share the powerful ways they keep in touch with their ancestors

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Tuesday

Wednesday

NPR Life Kit listeners share photos from their best theme parties. Left: a vision board for a "Vampire Nights"-themed party; middle: An '80s-themed ski party; right: An Olympics watch party. Photos courtesy of L to R: Gabby Kanu; Arik Colbath; Tom Czech and Elizabeth Novak hide caption

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Photos courtesy of L to R: Gabby Kanu; Arik Colbath; Tom Czech and Elizabeth Novak

Everyone hates a boring party. Here's how to kick things up a notch

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Tuesday

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Traveling for the holidays? 7 tips to help you keep your cool

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Monday

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Giving thanks is good for you. Here's how to make it a habit

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Friday

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It's hygge season: How to embrace the Danish lifestyle of rest and coziness

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Friday

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9 more ways to show your friends you love them, recommended by NPR listeners

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Tuesday

Philosopher William MacAskill coined the term "longtermism" to convey the idea that humans have a moral responsibility to protect the future of humanity, prevent it from going extinct and create a better future for many generations to come. He outlines this concept in his new book, What We Owe the Future. Matt Crockett hide caption

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Matt Crockett

Tuesday

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Sir Mark Lowcock, the former head of the U.N.'s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, has written a memoir, Relief Chief: A Manifesto for Saving Lives in Dire Times. In 2017, he was appointed Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath for his work in international development. Thierry Roge/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Thierry Roge/AFP via Getty Images

Friday

A patient talks with a nurse at a traveling contraception clinic in Madagascar run by MSI Reproductive Choices, an organization that provides contraception and safe abortion services in 37 countries. The group condemned the overturn of Roe v. Wade and warned that the ruling could stymie abortion access overseas. Samantha Reinders for NPR hide caption

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Samantha Reinders for NPR

Tuesday

Cinnamon and cardamon bun served in a Swedish cafe, often eaten at fika – a Swedish word that's often translated as "coffee and cake break." Malcolm P Chapman/Getty Images hide caption

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Malcolm P Chapman/Getty Images

#SwedenGate sparks food fight: Why some countries share meals more than others

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Wednesday

Dr. Denis Mukwege is a gynecologist, Nobel Peace Prize winner and advocate against sexual violence in conflict zones like his homeland, the Democratic Republic of Congo. He is now speaking out against the reports of rapes committed by Russian soldiers during the war in Ukraine. Fabian Sommer/Picture Alliance via Getty Images hide caption

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Fabian Sommer/Picture Alliance via Getty Images