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“I know how to listen”: Midwives in the Democratic Republic of the Congo use groundbreaking new birth model to care for pregnant survivors of sexual violence
BUKAVU, The Democratic Republic of the Congo – When 16-year-old Esther* arrived at the Panzi hospital in Bukavu, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, doctors confirmed her worst fear: She was pregnant.
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After eight years of conflict and despite a fragile truce, childbirth still a matter of life and death in Yemen
DHAMAR, Yemen – “If we get some food, we first let our children eat.” Zahra, 30, is a mother of four from the village of Wusab Al Safil in Yemen’s Dhamar Governorate.
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Ensuring critical maternal health services after cyclone Freddy wreaks havoc in Malawi
NSANJE, Malawi – Ruth Zuze was nervous. Her local disaster management committee, in the Makanga village, was broadcasting alerts about a ferocious cyclone barrelling towards Malawi’s southern coast.
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“One society, free from violence”: Training providers on caring for survivors of sexual violence in Palestine
JERICHO, Palestine – "I grew up in a patriarchal society where women have always been left behind, and this shaped my values and behaviour,” said Ayman Lubbad, a gender-based violence expert at Jericho’s government…
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Historic drought in the Horn of Africa: Women and girls fleeing one crisis for another
Kenya
DAADAB, Kenya – Incessant hunger and chronic insecurity forced Rukia Yaroow Ali and her nine children to abandon their home in Jilib, Somalia, to seek shelter at the Hagadera refugee camp in northern Kenya.
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Countering female genital mutilation in Sudan: “I didn’t know it was possible not to cut my daughter”
KHARTOUM, Sudan – “I personally experienced female genital mutilation and its harmful effects. I will not allow my daughters to be exposed to this,” said Zuha from White Nile state, in southern Sudan.
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Least responsible, hardest hit: New UNFPA brief explores climate change’s disproportionate harm on people of African descent
UNITED NATIONS, New York – In 2021, double disaster struck Haiti when Tropical Storm Grace hit the island nation just two days after it was rocked by a 7.2 magnitude earthquake.
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UNFPA midwives on call to ensure safe births in Afghanistan’s most remote villages
Afghanistan
“Wake up! We have a delivery!” Suhila Rasuli whispered urgently the phone so as not to wake up the rest of her family so early in the morning.
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Syria: Rights of women and girls hang in the balance as conflict passes 12-year mark and earthquakes deepen suffering
Syrian Arab Republic
“For most people in Syria, life today carries very few prospects for a better future,” Rima, a young woman from Aleppo, told UNFPA. “People are giving up.”
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Five reasons why: Women and girls must have equal rights in our digital world
International Women’s Day is an occasion for people around the world to celebrate the contributions of women and girls to all aspects of human progress. But it is also an opportunity to highlight the discrimination…
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One year into the war, displaced Ukrainian women are determined to persevere
Moldova, Republic of, Ukraine
Everything changed when Marina fled the war in Ukraine. She left behind a successful career and a robust family support network, arriving in Moldova with her young children and little else. "It wasn’t easy to learn…
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“Midwives are the bridge”: Educator Duncan Shikuku on helping maternal health providers ease women’s fears and save lives
Kenya
Midwifery educator Duncan Shikuku will never forget the day in 2011 when a new mother was rushed into the hospital where he worked, carried by her family. “She was listless and bleeding. Within minutes, we had lost her…
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