News

News

28 April 2017
News
Rose Akongo, 26, was in labour by the time she arrived at the border post. © UNFPA Uganda/Evelyn Matsamura Kiapi
South Sudan clashes force pregnant women into the bush, over the border
Nine mothers stood in a single-file line, cuddling their newborn babies, in a refugee reception centre in northern Uganda. Visibly exhausted and anxious, each had a story to tell about being heavily pregnant, nearing... Read more
25 April 2017
News
Indigenous girls in northern Guatemala must often travel great distances to get to school, a factor that leads to high drop out rates. Bicycles help them stay in school. © UNFPA/Alejandro De León
With bicycles, impoverished indigenous girls in Guatemala get a taste of freedom
Like many girls in Pecajbá, in Guatemala, Gladys Azucena Cho Cuc was forced to drop out when she reached secondary school. The high school was simply too far from home. In rural communities around here, girls travel... Read more
20 April 2017
News
Girls from the Safeguard Young People programme in Malawi, which provides sexual and reproductive health information, helps young people access health services, and offers leadership training. © UNFPA Malawi/Hope Ngwira
Study shows meeting adolescents’ health needs would yield tenfold return
A study published today in The Lancet shows that improving the physical, mental and sexual health of adolescents, at a cost of about $4.60 per person per year, would yield more than 10 times as much in benefits to... Read more
18 April 2017
News
Taekwondo champion Farida Azizova (left) encourages young people to speak out against gender discrimination. Image from the Youth for a Better Future campaign.
Taekwondo champion fights gender inequality in Azerbaijan
“As you know, in this society, we have problems with equality between men and women,” said Farida Azizova, a 21-year-old taekwondo champion from Azerbaijan. She knows all too well the barriers women face. “I would... Read more
13 April 2017
News
Education is helping young people combat Zambia's high rates of teen pregnancy and HIV. © UNFPA Zambia/Helene Christensen
Sexuality education offers life-saving lessons to Zambia’s young people
“I have seen girls become pregnant, become victims of violence and become HIV-positive, and I don't want to become one of those girls,” said 13-year-old Lydia Mwelwa, a student at Kabulonga Basic School in Lusaka,... Read more
7 April 2017
News
“The most difficult part of my job is the repeated cases, where the husband will not change his behaviour, where the wife is not able to leave, and where she is abused again and again,” says caseworker Lu Bu. © UNFPA/Yenny Gamming
UNFPA responds to gender violence in conflict-scarred Kachin
“Some women are very upset and are not able to immediately explain what has happened,” caseworker Daw Lu Bu explained in Myanmar’s conflict-ridden Kachin State, where she treats survivors of gender-based violence. “I... Read more
5 April 2017
News
María is leading recovery efforts in her community. "The situation is decaying each day," she said. © UNFPA/Cotera
Over 1 million affected by brutal flooding, landslides in Peru
More than 1 million people have been affected by an unprecedented level of flooding, landslides and heavy rains in Peru. Twenty-four out of the country’s 25 departments are grappling with the crisis, including Lima,... Read more
3 April 2017
News
Traditional ceremonies are an opportunity to reach young people with life-saving information. © UNFPA/Meaghan Charkowick
Traditional leaders stand up to protect youth from HIV, unintended pregnancy
“We have high youth unemployment and high teenage pregnancy,” Mr. Obed, a traditional leader in Shiselweni, Swaziland, told UNFPA. Yet many conservative, rural communities have resisted publicly discussing topics that... Read more
30 March 2017
News
UNFPA-supported trainings are enabling midwives to provide emergency obstetric and newborn care. © UNFPA Cambodia
Cambodian midwives hone skills to save lives
In Cambodia, giving birth is often called “crossing the river.” Both can be dangerous – even deadly – if something goes wrong. This is particularly true for women living in the remote areas, who may lack information... Read more
27 March 2017
News
Young mothers Purity Bahati (left) and Naomi Kitsao (right) advocate for other young people to access sexual and reproductive health information and care. © UNFPA Kenya/Doulgas Waudo
Teen mothers in Kenya become powerful advocates for change
Purity Bahati was only 15 when she started dating her boyfriend, a 28-year-old man. “He told me he loved me, and I believed him,” she said. She was pregnant by the time she was 17. The pregnancy forced her to drop... Read more

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