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In her words: “Above my house, I saw a burning missile.” An expectant mother seeks safety in the Republic of Moldova
Moldova, Republic of
Daria Smirnova, 33, left Odessa, Ukraine with her mother and son and arrived in Chișinău, the capital of the Republic of Moldova, approximately 180 kilometres away. Nine months pregnant with another boy, she is due to…
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In her words: Air raid sirens, a baby’s first cry. Giving birth during war in Ukraine
Ukraine
KYIV, Ukraine – I had a complicated pregnancy so I went to the maternity hospital early so that the child and I would be under doctor supervision. When I woke up on 24 February, my phone’s screen was full of messages…
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Maternal and reproductive health-care crisis in Ethiopia
Ethiopia
KONSO, Ethiopia - “I was discharged from the health facility after the stillbirth of my baby without any medication or treatment. I have been bleeding ever since,” said Asnaketch, sitting in her tent at Haylota IDP (…
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Pregnant women’s needs grow as Tropical Storm Ana wreaks havoc in southern Malawi
Malawi
“The prospect of another cyclone was scary,” said Monica, who lives in Mbenje in Malawi’s Nsanje District. “We lived through the same experience with Cyclone Idai and then Cyclone Kenneth. We had to rebuild from scratch…
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For two indigenous girls in Guatemala, early unions spell the end of dreams
Guatemala
At 15, Quetzali* had only ever spoken via telephone to a 22-year-old soldier she met through her aunt. He persuaded her to meet his family, but when Quetzali went to his house in a different town, he barred her from…
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Reproductive health needs in Mozambique a priority after Tropical Storm Ana
Mozambique
The country may have been spared by Tropical Cyclone Batsirai but it is still reeling from the devastating impacts of Tropical Storm Ana. Making landfall on 24 January in Angoche District in the coastal province of…
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In her words: A child bride from Yemen forced to grow up too fast
Yemen
Ibtisam* is a 16-year-old girl living in Yemen who shared her story of marrying at 14. Of the 4 million girls married before the age of 18 in Yemen, 1.4 million were married before age 15.
Since I was…
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Girls in Sudan are coding their way to a brighter future
Sudan
At the ShareZone Centre filled with laptops and three technical instructors, aspiring coders Hajer, 18, and Eman, 25, see the results of their work: the words “Hello, World!” moving across their computer screens. Last…
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Crisis after the storm: needs soar for women and girls in typhoon-ravaged Philippines
Philippines
When Super Typhoon Rai (Odette) barrelled down on the Philippines on 16 December 2021, its 195km/h winds and torrential rain tore through hundreds of thousands of homes, businesses and vital infrastructure, putting…
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Drought in Kenya proves a setback to eliminating female genital mutilation
Kenya
There are two rainy seasons in Kenya: The long rains in March, April and May and the short rains in October, November and December. The past three seasons have failed, and the next one is forecast to do the same. In…
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In Somalia, 100 mothers pledge not to subject daughters to female genital mutilation
Somalia
When Halima* was eight, she underwent female genital mutilation under the blade of her mother, a traditional birth attendant (TBA). “The procedure was painful, with no anaesthesia. I bled for days,” she recalled. “I was…
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Women refugees bear the brunt of Ethiopia’s forgotten crisis in Gambella
Ethiopia
Nyabel fled to Ethiopia more than five years ago from Nasir in the Upper Nile state of South Sudan, after conflict broke out in 2013 and displaced some 1.5 million people. She arrived at the camp with little more than…
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