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Young people take the lead against Zika in Brazil
Brazil
Young people are taking the lead against Zika in the slums and favelas of Brazil, where poor sanitation has led to a proliferation of mosquito-borne illnesses, including dengue, chikungunya and Zika virus. "The…
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The first rule of the married girls’ club is: empower girls
Ethiopia
Fatuma was married off five years ago, when she was just 13. Like most girls from the remote Afar Region of Ethiopia, she had undergone female genital mutilation (FGM) when she was just a baby, and it was expected that…
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Refugees’ and migrants’ reproductive health needs overlooked
As world leaders gather in New York for the United Nations General Assembly, they will set out to address some of the greatest catastrophes in a generation: grinding conflicts that have set whole populations adrift,…
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Refugee mother and daughter fight rocketing rates of child marriage
Jordan
“A girl I know from school here in the camp got married last year when she was 15,” Saba, 16, told UNFPA. Saba encouraged her friend to delay pregnancy until her body was more mature. But the pressure to have a child…
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“One-stop shop” brings life-saving HIV care, reproductive health to Botswana’s women
Botswana
When Rose Matuulane was pregnant five years ago, she had to wait for a nurse to visit her small village, Otse, to provide antenatal check-ups. When the nurse could not make it, Ms. Matuulane had to travel 84 km to the…
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Flood relief in Myanmar includes family planning supplies
Myanmar
Monsoon floods are an annual hazard for Phoo Ngun’s family. Although their bamboo home stands on tall stilts, the kitchen has been submerged in rainwater. Ms. Phoo Ngun, 31, has set up a makeshift cooking area in their…
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Once frowned on, family planning offers a lifeline in South Sudan
South Sudan
Life is harsh in the northern city of Malakal. Once a vibrant commercial hub, much of Malakal is now a ghost town, its residents crammed into a protection camp on the city’s outskirts. Even there, safety is not assured…
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Giving birth amid Boko Haram insurgency; UNFPA reaching millions with care
Nigeria
Zarah Bunu was just a teenager when she was forced to flee her home in north-eastern Nigeria in 2014. The steady drumbeat of fear and violence caused by the Boko Haram insurgency pushed her and millions of others into…
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Haitian women felled by preventable cancer; simple test to save lives
Haiti
Midwife Amoin Soulemane is running late for her appointment. With the consent of her patient, a 48-year-old woman, Ms. Soulemane quickly ushers her guests into the consultation. They will be observing a cervical cancer…
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Joint UN programme aims to empower over 1 million girls in Mozambique
Mozambique
“Before I entered the safe space, I was shy, and it was difficult for me to express myself. I spent my free time after school with vulnerable girlfriends my age who had left school to marry, and some were even pregnant…
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Campaign brings condoms, HIV testing and hugs to the Olympics
Brazil
The #EuAbraço, or “#iEmbrace,” campaign is a massive public health initiative targeting Olympics spectators, fans and athletes with condoms, sexual and reproductive health information, HIV testing, information about…
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Escape from Fallujah: Pregnant residents describe life on the run from ISIL
Iraq
Residents of the long-embattled city of Fallujah are accustomed to hardship. But even for this battle-tested population, life under the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) was a nightmare,…
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