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Against the odds, Malawian girl overcomes child marriage, agonizing labour and obstetric fistula
Malawi
NKHATA BAY, Malawi – Jacqueline was just 15 when she fell in love with a boy from another village. The two eloped, initiating a customary marriage rather than a formal one. But Jacqueline kept the relationship a secret…
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“What’s left to be destroyed in my life?” Flash floods deepen the catastrophe in Yemen
Yemen
SA’ADA GOVERNORATE, Yemen – Shaima left school at just eight years old to support her family’s farming business in Hajjah, in northern Yemen. Conflict had erupted and the country’s economy went into freefall, leaving…
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Empowering young people in Ecuador to understand their bodies and defend their rights
Ecuador
ESMERALDAS, Ecuador – “RuranKapak for me means freedom, knowledge, breaking myths,” said 20-year-old youth leader Janny Caicedo Corozo. “It’s about helping young people who don't know their rights and need to know…
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Five things you need to know about consent
UNITED NATIONS, New York – Everyone has the right to make their own choices about their bodies. Yet millions of people are denied their right to say no to sex – or yes to the choice of a marriage partner or to the right…
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Beating the odds: Resilience, hope and safe births at a UNFPA mobile clinic in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
NORTH KIVU PROVINCE, Democratic Republic of the Congo – Although heavily pregnant and in pain, Kaindo Bembeleza waited patiently along with dozens of other women on a row of benches under a tarpaulin tent.
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Fadma and the forest: Learning from the past for a flourishing future in rural Morocco
AGADIR, Morocco – “Women play an irreplaceable role in preserving the Argan forests,” said Jamila Idbourrous, director of the Union of Argan Oil Women’s Cooperatives in Agadir, Morocco.
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UNFPA embraces femtech to boost period awareness in Burkina Faso and the Republic of Moldova
Burkina Faso, Moldova, Republic of
CHIȘINĂU, Republic of Moldova/OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso — “I used an app before but forgot to enter the dates, but with this watch you can easily see every day of your menstrual cycle. I think it's important to…
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After flooding and rains devastate Peru, survivors of gender-based violence find safety and services at UNFPA-supported shelter
Peru
PIURA, Peru – Displacement. Violence. Stigma and discrimination. Unfortunately, these are some of the challenges women confront in Peru.
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“Sometimes she was desperate”: How survivors of sexual violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo are healing with the help of UNFPA’s frontline workers
Democratic Republic of the Congo
NORTH KIVU PROVINCE, The Democratic Republic of the Congo – “I was going to fetch firewood from the forest to cook food for myself and my six children, when I came across armed men.”
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How a safe space in the Republic of Moldova offers comprehensive sexuality education for Roma refugees fleeing Ukraine
Moldova, Republic of, Ukraine
CHIȘINĂU, the Republic of Moldova – “Services of this kind have not been practised among this group of Roma population in Ukraine, so due to a lack of information, there is distrust,” said Sahin Rădiță. “Sexuality…
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Across Afghanistan, resourceful midwives brave multiple barriers to ensure maternal health and safe births
Afghanistan
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan – A week after delivering her baby girl, Ms. Husun went back to the family health house where she gave birth, bringing food for the midwife who had assisted her.
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Youth-friendly sexual and reproductive health services empower young mothers in Thailand
Thailand
CHIANG MAI, Thailand – Nan*, 19, gave a soothing and warming massage to Aorn*, 21, on the floor of Khon Wai Sai, a local organization near Chiang Mai, in northern Thailand. Nan was practising a traditional abdominal…
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