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28 May 2019
News
In India, 15-year-old Priyanka Meena sleeps outside her home when she has her periods. She wears the same clothes and uses the same utensils when she menstruates; these are believed to be unclean. © UNFPA India
Menstruation is not a girls' or women’s issue – it’s a human rights issue
“My periods are a nightmare,” Nyanjuma Galoth, 20, told UNFPA at a civilian protection camp in South Sudan. “They are very painful, and I can’t get any sanitary products.” It is a major source of stress, she said. “The... Read more
22 May 2019
News
Farah* recently received surgical treatment for obstetric fistula. She says she can now "live a normal life." © UNFPA Afghanistan
Treatment for traumatic childbirth injury gives new hope to women in Afghanistan
“I saw myself as the living dead,” 50-year-old Laila* told UNFPA. She suffered terribly while giving birth in Pakistan 27 years ago. The prolonged, obstructed labour left her with an obstetric fistula – one of the most... Read more
21 May 2019
News
Keflene Yakobo is now a fistula ambassador in her community, helping other women receive treatment and reclaim their lives. © UNFPA Tanzania/Bright Warren
Ending obstetric fistula: Devastating and preventable childbirth injury continues to haunt women
Despite her best efforts, the delivery went worse than she could have imagined. Ms. Yakobo ended up with an obstetric fistula – one of the most serious and tragic injuries that can occur during childbirth.
20 May 2019
News
5 ways female genital mutilation undermines the health of women and girls
Girls and women who undergo FGM face a range of serious health risks – from potentially fatal bleeding to childbirth complications to long-term psychological problems.
17 May 2019
News
Years into Syria's grinding conflict, refugees need support to rebuild their lives. © UNFPA Iraq
A long road to safety, healing for refugee mothers in Iraq
"I felt the world just stopped and the few minutes that passed felt like an eternity. I couldn’t feel my heart beating anymore and broke into heaving sobs."
14 May 2019
News
Without visiting the mobile clinic, Ja Htoi's condition would have gone unnoticed. © UNFPA Myanmar/Yenny Gamming
Safe pregnancies for displaced mothers as mobile clinics reach deep into Kachin camps
Anenatal checkups provided by mobile clinics are saving lives of mothers and babies among displaced people in Myanmar.
13 May 2019
News
Today, Ms. Wen and Ms. Yan see eye-to-eye on the equality of women and girls. © Dushan Township Family Planning Office/Zhang Min
In China, women work to raise the status of girls
“Must a girl be of lesser value than a boy?" Wen Xiujuan asked, after having two daughters.
6 May 2019
News
Eight months pregnant and mother of six, Nadia Muson and her family were within earshot of the armed conflict in their municipality of Datu Salibo, Maguindanao. © UNFPA Philippines/ Rochelle Yu
Reaching pregnant women at risk from conflict in Maguindanao, Philippines
Up to 1,400 pregnant women, 500 of whom are expected to deliver in the next three months, are among the displaced by the fighting.
3 May 2019
News
It's not your mother's motherhood. © UNFPA/Bruno Feder
Just like your mother? Seven ways motherhood has changed (or not) in the last 25 years
In 1994, the world was transforming. Motherhood would never been quite the same.
3 May 2019
News
Najiba works in one of the hardest-to-reach, poorest areas of Bamyan. © UNFPA Afghanistan
No mountain too high: Midwives protect women, save lives
Midwives serve in some of the most remote health posts in the world, saving the lives of women and babies in settings that are often harsh and resource-poor.

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