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“We lost everything”: In Yemen, a mother’s grief lays bare the human cost of the climate crisis
Yemen
TAIZ, Yemen – “One day, when I was returning from fetching water, I collapsed on the road. I was bleeding so badly that I knew I was going to lose my baby.” Umm Mahra was 31 years old and five months pregnant when she…
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“Your story holds power”: UNFPA provides HIV testing for survivors of violence in Namibia
Namibia
ZAMBEZI, Namibia – Twenty-year-old university student Haillie Lushetile did not have any easy childhood. At five years old, she survived rape by a family member. She repressed the traumatic experience, however, until…
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“We are the experts on disability”: Advocate Angeline Chand urges inclusive disaster preparedness and response in Fiji
Pacific Sub-regional Office
SUVA, Fiji – For the millions of people spread across more than a dozen countries and territories that make up the Pacific Islands, natural hazards and climate disasters are unfortunately nothing new.
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Walking the walk: Activist Victoria Rovira Hernández takes a stand on Costa Rica’s ‘bodyright’ runway for trans people and sex workers
Costa Rica
SAN JOSE, Costa Rica – In August 2023, trans rights activist Victoria Rovira Hernández took to the catwalk for an unconventional runway presentation during Costa Rica’s fashion week.
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UNFPA urges leaders to address gendered, discriminatory impacts of climate change at COP28
Trinidad and Tobago
PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad and Tobago – The domino effect is clear: Climate change causes extreme dry weather in Trinidad and Tobago, which forces women to expend more time and energy on the physically demanding task of…
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Childhood cut short: Three stories of adolescent pregnancy from Paraguay
Paraguay
ASUNCIÓN, Paraguay – No one seemed to mind when Noelia* got a boyfriend. Nobody in her family said a word, even though her boyfriend was 18 years old and she was just 13.
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“Part of the solution”: Men and boys in Uganda work to stop cycles of gender-based violence
Uganda
KASESE DISTRICT, Uganda – Through his work as a village health team member in Kasese District, Uganda, Timothy Mbene Masereka had become adept at treating community members for illnesses such as malaria and pneumonia.
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Health, hygiene and protection needs spike after earthquake in Nepal
Nepal
KARNALI PROVINCE, Nepal – The strongest earthquake to hit Nepal in nearly a decade struck the country’s remote and mountainous western region on the night of 3 November, killing and injuring hundreds and sending 33-year…
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A new flour mill offers unexpected respite from threats of violence in Sudan
Sudan
BLUE NILE STATE, Sudan – Haleema Ibrahim, 36, walked a few minutes back to her home in the village of Shanisha, in Sudan’s Blue Nile State, carrying a basket of freshly ground grains from a newly-built flour mill.
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“I will stand tall for my children”: Dozens of pregnant refugees give birth amid turmoil after fleeing to Armenia
VARDENIS, Armenia – "The doctors were pessimistic. They were convinced that my child would not survive,” said 28-year-old single mother Marta Asryan. “I was weak, bleeding – but I insisted that my son was going to…
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After a month of siege, bombardments and a health system obliterated, pregnant women in Gaza are caught in a catastrophe
Palestine, State of
GAZA, Palestine – “The working conditions in our hospital are catastrophic. We lack basic life necessities and we’re struggling with a severe shortage of water,” said Yasmine Ahmed, a midwife at Al-Shifa Hospital, Gaza’…
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“Hope arrived in the form of Rahna”: The life-saving work of midwives after the Afghanistan earthquake
Afghanistan
ZINDAJAN, Afghanistan – Early in the morning on 15 October, 20-year-old Hanifa felt them: The contractions that signalled her baby was on its way.
The timing was less than ideal. Just one week prior, a 6.3-…