Mamata Nakal Khadka grew up in rural Nepal. "People used to think that their daughters didn't need to go to school," she told UNFPA. "In my mother's time, there were no contraceptives, so women would have eight, nine or even 10 children."

Ms. Khadka hopes her own life is different. She wants to have only two children, to better focus on their care and to help them achieve their dreams. "I want to see them succeed, and I think family planning will help realize this dream."

On 13 May 1968, family planning was officially recognized as a human right at the International Conference on Human Rights. The conference’s outcome document, known as the Teheran Proclamation, stated unequivocally: “Parents have a basic human right to determine freely and responsibly the number and spacing of their children.” But 50 years later, the fight for family planning is not over. See more here.