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Contraceptives a game changer for crisis-affected women in northern Nigeria
Nigeria
Despite the recent return of dozens of girls abducted by the insurgent group Boko Haram, the crisis in northern Nigeria remains acute, with mass movements of civilian populations within the country and over the border…
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For many women in Ukraine, escape from conflict not an escape from violence
Ukraine
Things started to fall apart for Mariana* when she and her father were forced to flee fighting in the Donetsk region in 2016. Even after escaping the front lines, displaced women and girls can be extraordinarily…
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Counsellors reach out to Kachin communities to end gender violence
Myanmar
“We should not have to live in fear of violence just because we are women,” Khaung Nan declared in Waing Maw, a town in Myanmar’s battle-worn Kachin State. Ms. Khaung Nan works at the Waing Maw Women’s and Girls’ Centre…
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After 46 years of suffering, fistula survivor finds relief
Malawi
A phone call changed Nachilango Bisolomo’s life.
For 46 years, she had suffered from an obstetric fistula, a stigmatizing injury caused by childbirth complications. Fistula causes incontinence and can…
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Young people call for education, health care, rights – and politicians are listening
Liberia
Life is not often easy for Liberia’s young people. It has been 14 years since the end of a brutal civil war, but in many ways communities are still reeling. Poverty is rampant, school enrolment rates are low and…
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Investments in male condoms save lives, make economic gains for countries
UNITED NATIONS, New York - Increasing investments in procuring and distributing male condoms provides a significant economic returns for countries with scarce resources, a new study finds. The study, written by experts…
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This Mother’s Day, remembering the joys – and dangers – of motherhood
Syrian Arab Republic
Motherhood should be a time of joy, but for too many women, it comes with something else: peril.
"Becoming a mother and having a family was always a dream of mine. But I never expected it to happen…
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New survey shows violence against women widespread in Indonesia
Indonesia
Dita* never imagined that she would be a single mother at the age of 33. But after enduring 10 years of an abusive marriage, she found herself alone and struggling to raise two children.
Her husband had…
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Midwives offer care, dignity and a lifeline for Haiti's mothers
Haiti
Elizabeth was exhausted after hours of contractions at the Petite Place Cazeau clinic, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Finally, with gentle guidance from the midwife, she gave one last push. Stifled cries filled the delivery…
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To reduce maternal deaths, look to midwives
Rwanda
“Mothers and babies lose their lives due to complications that could have been prevented,” Burcard Umuhoza, 28, told UNFPA in a frank conversation about the trials he faces as a midwife in Rwanda’s Gisenyi District…
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Heroic midwives save lives amid Syria’s chaos
Syrian Arab Republic, Türkiye
Midwife Shatha Al Mostafa started her career at the most difficult time possible – amid the escalating violence, insecurity and human rights abuses in her home country, Syria. Since graduating from midwifery school two…
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South Sudan clashes force pregnant women into the bush, over the border
South Sudan, Uganda
Nine mothers stood in a single-file line, cuddling their newborn babies, in a refugee reception centre in northern Uganda. Visibly exhausted and anxious, each had a story to tell about being heavily pregnant, nearing…
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