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Family planning vital in post-quake Nepal
Nepal
When Nepal's devastating April earthquake struck, Tanka Kumari Bishankhe's home was badly damaged, and the family planning card she used to track her contraceptive injections disappeared in the chaos. Unable…
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Violence, inequality plague women in conflict-ravaged Yemen
Yemen
Violence against women was a grave problem in Yemen even before the outbreak of conflict. The current humanitarian disaster is only worsening conditions for women .
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HIV-positive youth leaders push for better access to care in Latin America
El Salvador
Joel Barrera will never forget the moment he was diagnosed as HIV-positive. “It was one of those days that marks a before and after in your life,” he told UNFPA.
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Support centre offers care, hope to refugees from South Sudan
Every once in a while, Joyce Dabor is jolted from sleep by memories of the day she was separated from her children. It was the day they finally escaped the bloody conflict in South Sudan. She was pregnant at the time,…
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In Cambodia, family planning offers a path away from poverty
Cambodia
“My parents had many children, and they couldn’t afford to send us to school,” said So Pumngea, 24, in Cambodia’s rural Kratie Province. “Before, families had to stay poor.” But today, Ms. So has a powerful tool to help…
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Women’s football defies stereotypes, inspires change in Cameroon
Cameroon
“Football is not only for men,” said Monique, 18, the captain of her girls’ football team, during a recent UNFPA-supported tournament. She and her teammates are trailblazers in their district, Mokolo, in Cameroon’s…
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Yemen conflict takes massive toll on health systems
Yemen
Mustafa's daughter, Bushra, was born dangerously premature. With no incubator available, she died. The conflict in Yemen has taken a massive toll on the country's health system.
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Girls' rights are a priority, say UN chief and UNFPA head
Nigeria
“I am proud to be a girl.” These were the bold closing words of a drama performed for United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon and UNFPA’s Executive Director Dr. Babatunde Osotimehin. It is a sadly uncommon…
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Stemming the tide of violence: From abuser to reformer
Cambodia
Ry Chan, a gentle father in his mid-30s, was once an abuser. He believed that “a woman deserves to be beaten when she commits a mistake,” he regretfully told UNFPA in his home in Cambodia’s Kampong Leng District.
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“We were judgmental”: Making health care safe, accessible to young people
Malawi
LILONGWE, Malawi – “I thought family planning was for married people, not for girls,” said Blessings Sonkhanani, a nurse at Namwera Health Center in Malawi’s Mangochi District. “We were not friendly to young people. We…
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Young pioneer in Ethiopia defies FGM, finds love
Ethiopia
Hawa Buha is a trailblazer in her conservative pastoralist community in norther Ethiopia. First, she refused to undergo female genital mutilation, a choice that left her unmarriageable, according to local traditions.…
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One year after Gaza conflict, situation for women and youth remains dire
Palestine, State of
The conflict in Gaza ended one year ago with heavy destruction, suffering and loss of life. Although some progress has been made since then, conditions remain difficult, especially for women and young people.
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