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Health experts call for renewed focus on maternal, child deaths
Haiti, Mexico
Despite global commitments, unacceptably large numbers of mothers and newborns continue to die during pregnancy and in the days following childbirth. Yet the actions needed to save these women and newborns are largely…
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Five of the greatest sexual health advances since the birth of the UN
The United Nations was founded 70 years ago. In that time, the world has seen enormous advances in sexual and reproductive health. These changes have helped policymakers recognize that healthy and empowered women are…
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Violence survivors find compassion, care at Cameroon's Listening Centre
Cameroon
How does one comfort the family of an abused adolescent girl, or assist a pregnant survivor of sexual assault? In Batouri, in eastern Cameroon, these difficult tasks are the responsibility of two Catholic priests, who…
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Grim but essential, autopsies are saving lives in Bangladesh
Bangladesh
Something went terribly wrong when Asta Banu gave birth. Her labour seemed to take forever, and when the baby – a boy – was finally born, he was unresponsive.
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Before it’s too late: Doctors take on one of the deadliest places for women
Chad
Health workers are learning to improve maternal survival in one of the world’s deadliest places for mothers. In the corner is a makeshift delivery room, where pregnant mannequins wait in various stages of labour.…
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“Never, ever” again – a former circumciser calls for an end to FGM
Ethiopia
Asiya Hamed spent much of her life performing female genital mutilation (FGM) on girls in her community. She cannot remember how many girls she has cut, but she knows what the consequences have been.
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Girls’ rights: Goedele Liekens looks back on 15 years of progress
Today, on the International Day of the Girl Child, UNFPA’s Goodwill Ambassador Goedele Liekens reflects on how conditions have improved for girls’ health and rights over the last 15 years – and how much still has to be…
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The power of girls: African athletes call for gender equality, support for girls
Congo-Brazzaville
The strength, power and potential of girls were unmistakable at the All African Games, held in Brazzaville last month, where many young female athletes were determined not only to win medals but also to advance the…
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Despite trauma, a little help goes a long way for Syrian refugees
Iraq, Lebanon, Syrian Arab Republic
“I’d just gotten off the night shift,” said ‘Aida*, a nurse, describing the morning her neighbourhood in Ghouta, Syria, was attacked with Sarin gas . “My son called out to me. He couldn’t see.” It was 21 August 2013.…
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Kenyan support centre offers care, hope to refugees from South Sudan
Kenya, South Sudan
Every once in a while, Joyce Dabor is jolted from sleep by memories of the day she was separated from her children. It was the day they finally escaped the bloody conflict in South Sudan. Ms. Dabor was pregnant at the…
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Child marriage “shatters” the future of girls, communities
Burkina Faso
When Roukiatou Youssoupha Diallo, in rural Burkina Faso, was engaged to be married, she was not even 13 years old. The traditional practice, one embraced by her family and much of their community, was not intended to…
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African Union leaders pledge to invest in promise of young people
Malawi
Young people must be prioritized, heads of states and ministers declared at a high-level consultative meeting held at the African Union Conference Hall in New York yesterday. “Youth can be critical agents for…
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