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12 August 2016
News
Students perform their award-winning poem, "The Life that is Worthy." Their message makes them ambassadors of sustainable development, said leaders at the 2016 Music, Dance and Drama Festival.
Girls in Uganda become SDG ambassadors, fight teen pregnancy with poetry
Talking about sexual and reproductive health is not easy, especially in the conservative corners of Uganda. But the girls of Buddo Secondary School found a powerful way to address the issue: poetry. “Plan your family... Read more
12 August 2016
News
Fatima Muhammed demonstrates how to make a reusable sanitary napkin in her school's sewing room. Classmate Deborah Chavula looks on. © UNFPA Malawi
Periods not a problem thanks to pad-making club in Malawi
After finishing class for the day, Fatima Muhammed and Deborah Chavula head to their school’s sewing room to make sanitary napkins. It is an unusual after-school activity, but a vital one: They distribute the pads to... Read more
8 August 2016
News
Dozens of survivors of abduction and enslavement are receiving care at a UNFPA-supported women’s centre in northern Iraq. © UNFPA Iraq
Emerging from slavery, Yazidi women struggle to recover
KHANKE, Iraq – “Do not blame me for repeating my story, as what happened to me is the unforgettable story of my life,” Golleh*, a Yazidi woman, said. She had been abducted by the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (... Read more
5 August 2016
News
UNFPA is providing post-rape treatment kits and other essential health supplies in South Sudan. Sexual violence has been widespread since hostilities erupted last month. © UNFPA/Tim McKulka
Women face "unspeakable" sexual violence in South Sudan
“I never felt so empty and helpless,” Tabitha* told UNFPA. She is one of at least a hundred civilians to be sexually assaulted in the wake of South Sudan’s most recent hostilities.
4 August 2016
News
Young people have a right to access to accurate information about their bodies, including how to protect themselves from HIV. Youth pose with singer Yvonne Chaka Chaka at the 21st International AIDS Conference. © UNFPA/Prossy Nakanjako
Upsurge in sexuality education seen in countries with high HIV rates
DURBAN, South Africa – Zandile Simelane was just a teenager when her life was turned upside-down. “At the age of 17, I was diagnosed with HIV,” she told UNFPA at the recent International AIDS Conference in Durban,... Read more
3 August 2016
News
Dream Team do Passinho launches their hit new song, "More Rights, Less Zika" on World Population Day 2016. The song is a collaboration between the popular music group and UNFPA. © UNFPA Brazil/Tatiana Almeida
Brazilian funk music sensation Dream Team do Passinho calls for "More Rights, Less Zika"
Funk music stars from Brazil’s favela communities are calling for people to “get together for more rights, less zika” in their newest single. The band, Dream Team do Passinho, partnered with UNFPA to produce the song,... Read more
1 August 2016
News
Alexandrina, Amina and Ionela talk about the barriers girls face in Moldova. © UNFPA Moldova
Girls call for tearing down gender barriers in Moldova
“I feel that if I were a boy, I would have more possibilities to find a stable and better employment,” 14-year-old Amina told UNFPA. Sadly, her suspicions are well-founded.
29 July 2016
News
Midwife Daw Aye Myint visits the home of a new mother for a postpartum check-up in the remote region of Magway. © UNFPA Myanmar
No place too far: Midwives deployed to far-flung villages in Myanmar
Midwife Daw Aye Myint is the first health professional to ever be based in Htamakaut, a remote village in the rural Magway region. She arrived there only 11 months ago.
26 July 2016
News
A mother and baby in Bentiu, South Sudan, in 2015. When violence erupted days before the fifth anniversary of South Sudan's independence, heroic midwives stood their ground to save lives. © UNFPA/Amadou Baraze Elh Nakaka
Stay and deliver: Saving lives under gunfire in Juba
Ferocious violence erupted in Juba, the capital of South Sudan, killing or wounding hundreds and displacing tens of thousands. Yet amid the bloodshed, heroes emerged, like midwife Aber Evaline, who stood her ground to... Read more
21 July 2016
News
Greicy Alves with her son, Gabriel, who has microcephaly. Ms. Alves was diagnosed with Zika in her first trimester. Marginalized women are disproportionately affected by the outbreak. © UNFPA/Tatiana Almeida
Poverty, inequality at the heart of the Zika outbreak
When 30-year-old Greicy Alves was diagnosed with Zika in her first trimester, it did not seem like a big deal. The disease was widely considered to be mild. But by the time her son, Gabriel, was born, the disease had... Read more

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