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No place too far: Midwives deployed to far-flung villages in Myanmar
Myanmar
Midwife Daw Aye Myint is the first health professional to ever be based in Htamakaut, a remote village in the rural Magway region. She arrived there only 11 months ago.
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Stay and deliver: Saving lives under gunfire in Juba
South Sudan
Ferocious violence erupted in Juba, the capital of South Sudan, killing or wounding hundreds and displacing tens of thousands. Yet amid the bloodshed, heroes emerged, like midwife Aber Evaline, who stood her ground to…
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Poverty, inequality at the heart of the Zika outbreak
Brazil
When 30-year-old Greicy Alves was diagnosed with Zika in her first trimester, it did not seem like a big deal. The disease was widely considered to be mild. But by the time her son, Gabriel, was born, the disease had…
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Local Egyptian heroine aims to end “huge” suffering caused by FGM
Egypt
In her daily life, Hoda Hamed, is a quiet 37-year-old kindergarten teacher, but when she is off the clock, she is a force of nature. Ms. Hamed is an outspoken advocate for women and girls, working tirelessly to convince…
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Maternal death rate plunges in Lao People's Democratic Republic
Lao People's Democratic Republic
"The village was full of kids before,” said Agnod, 56, in a remote community in the Lao People's Democratic Republic. Nestled in a forest near the border with Viet Nam, the village of Labangkhok is one of the…
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Getting help to nomad moms on the move in West Darfur
Sudan
Something was terribly wrong. Zahra Zakaria was eight months pregnant when she went into labour in a tent in Kondabi, a remote village in Sudan’s West Darfur state. It was her sixth childbirth, but the pain this time…
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World Population Day in Six Eye-Popping Charts
Despite strides the world has made towards gender equality, teenage girls remain extremely vulnerable. Too many girls continue to see their rights abridged and prospects diminished by discrimination, exploitation and…
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Young volunteers meet critical reproductive health needs in Liberia
Liberia
Jackie knows about heartbreak. She became pregnant in the ninth grade and was forced to leave school. Then, when her baby was nearly two years old, she suddenly fell sick. “I took her to the clinic. But when I came back…
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Amid war devastation, Central African youth become agents of peace
Central African Republic
In the Central African Republic, an entire generation of youth has been scarred by more than three years of relentless bloodshed. But today, as a fragile stability takes hold, a peer education programme is helping the…
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Cambodian smash hit Love9 tackles taboo subject: sexual health
Cambodia
“My engine is still working!” a young man in a clinic yelled gleefully, having just testing negative for sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Patients in the waiting room turned to gawk at him. It was a scene from…
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Thousands of pregnant women displaced by Boko Haram in Niger
Niger
DIFFA, Niger/UNITED NATIONS, New York – Tens of thousands of people have been forced to flee south-eastern Niger following an attack by Boko Haram militants in early June. UNFPA estimates some 3,000 pregnant women are…
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Carmen Barroso and Childbirth with Dignity Foundation win 2016 UN Population Award
Women's health and rights took centre stage at yesterday's United Nations Population Award ceremony, held at UN Headquarters in New York. The UN honoured Brazilian social scientist Carmen Barroso and the…
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