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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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For gender-based violence survivors in Palestine, a little assistance goes a long way
Palestine, State of
After receiving psychosocial and well-being services at the UNFPA-supported women and girls’ safe space for gender-based violence survivors in Nablus, women may leave with vocational training experience to help them…
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Fighting for justice against gender-based violence in Madagascar
Madagascar
Cases of gender-based violence, including rape, are tragically common in Madagascar: over 14 per cent of women have experienced sexual violence at some point in their lifetime, and one women in four have been subjected…
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A fresh start for women sanitation workers in India
India
The UNFPA-supported Women’s Mechanized Cleaning Cooperative in India was launched in October 2021 to help eliminate the degrading and hazardous practice of manual cleaning of public sewer systems in India. Women…
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