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Now Ebola-free, Liberia’s maternal health needs take centre stage
Liberia
MONROVIA, Liberia/UNITED NATIONS, New York –- Two days ago, Liberia was declared Ebola-free, following a tragic 13-month-long outbreak that saw the deaths of nearly 5,000 people. But while the outbreak is now officially…
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Banishing Ethiopia's 'Mother Stealer'
Ethiopia
AMHARA REGION, Ethiopia – They called it the Stealer. It came to their homes in this remote part of northern Ethiopia, and claimed the lives of women in childbirth. It took Asmer Geremew’s mother, as well as her younger…
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Hundreds freed from Boko Haram require medical care, counselling
Nigeria
ABUJA, Nigeria – Hundreds of women and children held by the militant group Boko Haram have been rescued by the Nigerian army in recent weeks. UNFPA is providing support to the freed women and girls in Borno and Adamawa…
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Reaching quake-affected pregnant women in Nepal
Nepal
KAVRE DISTRICT, Nepal – In Nepal’s Kavre District, devastation stretches as far as the eye can see. Last week’s 7.8-magnitude earthquake flattened most of the homes in Kavre’s Rampur Village, and the majority of the…
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Midwives could help avert millions of maternal and newborn deaths
Benin
COTONOU, Benin – “I have seen more and more women with child-delivery problems suffer needlessly,” said midwife Florence Djihoun, 48, at her UNFPA-supported clinic in Cotonou, Benin. Globally, complications of pregnancy…
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Student midwives prepare to save lives in rural Bangladesh
Bangladesh
Midwives-in-training hover over plastic anatomical models and practice using foetal stethoscopes the Dinajpur Nursing Institute, in northern Bangladesh. The skills they develop here will save countless lives. “I am…
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New estimates show 126,000 pregnant women affected by Nepal quake
Nepal
UNITED NATIONS, New York/BUNGMATI, Nepal – Needs are quickly escalating in Nepal, in the aftermath of the 7.8-magnitude earthquake. UNFPA now estimates some 2 million women and girls of reproductive age are among those…
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After flight from Syria, refugee women in Iraq find safety, support
Iraq, Syrian Arab Republic
ERBIL, Iraq – When 39-year-old Asma crossed the border from Syria into Iraq, all she could think about was the son she was leaving behind. “It was the worst day of my life – worse than all the shooting and attacks in…
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Tens of thousands of pregnant women affected by Nepal quake
Nepal
UNITED NATIONS, New York – The toll of deaths and injuries continues to mount days after a devastating 7.8-magnitude earthquake jolted Nepal on 25 April. Millions are thought to be affected across more than 30 of Nepal…
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Bringing lifesaving reproductive health care to remote Mozambique
Mozambique
CABO DELGADO, Mozambique – It was a hot day in Mozambique’s Chiúre District, and 23-year-old Constangelina Basílio, brought her young son, Magalhães, into the shade of a tree before telling her story. “We have a special…
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Revised Policy and Procurement Procedures
The revised Policy and Procedures for Regular Procurement have been released.
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Up a tree and eight months pregnant: A woman’s ordeal in the Malawi floods
Malawi
NSANJE, Malawi – Alimanda awoke to the roar of floodwater rushing into her home. She roused her four children and hurried them into a nearby tree, and, as the water rose around her, she struggled to climb into its…
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