27 April 2019
News
Fikre Molla was happy to receive professional care before, during and after childbirth, without having to forgo traditions. © UNFPA Ethiopia
With coffee ceremony and midwives, mums get a happy start in rural Ethiopia
BASOLIBEN, Ethiopia – When Fikre Molla was preparing to have her baby, she wanted the childbirth traditions she had grown up with, but the safety of professional care in a proper health facility.  Yet she lived in... Read more
15 March 2019
News
The path forward will not be easy, says Tadelech Ermias, who bravely refused to undergo FGM. © UNFPA Ethiopia/Abraham Gelaw
“We are working against all odds”: Despite progress, FGM and child marriage numbers cause alarm
DOMBOYA, Ethiopia/NEW YORK, United Nations – Tadelech Ermias remembers the ridicule she faced when she refused to undergo female genital mutilation (FGM), which was considered a requirement for brides in her community... Read more
29 August 2018
News
Salia, now 18, tends to animals to provide for herself and her family. Just two years ago, Salia thought she would be a child bride. © UNFPA Ethiopia/Abraham Gelaw
Ethiopian girls learn the skills they need to thrive – and secure their independence
SOKORU, Ethiopia – Two years ago, 16-year-old Salia Shemsu waited to be married off. She had just failed the national exam, barring her from pursuing the education she longed for. As the first-born girl in her family,... Read more
16 July 2018
News
Mrs. Belay with her husband, Priest Leul Hunegnaw, in front of their barn. She says contraception has had a liberating effect. © UNFPA Ethiopia
Family planning liberating for women in rural Ethiopia
DEBAYTILATGIN, Ethiopia – Hulunayehu Belay’s family ekes out a living by farming a small plot of land at the edge of a mountain. Her husband, Leul Hunegnaw, supplements their income by working as a priest. For years,... Read more
22 May 2018
News
A health worker checks on a pregnant woman during a home visit. Access to quality maternal health care, especially emergency care during childbirth, is essential to preventing obstetric fistula. © UNFPA Ethiopia/Abraham Gelaw
Debilitating childbirth injury takes major toll on women
JIMMA, Ethiopia – After her wedding at age 20 in the Seka District of Ethiopia, Birkisa Aba Nega became pregnant. Then again, and again. Four of the five children she delivered died, and she was left with a debilitating... Read more
1 March 2018
News
Courageous girls change attitudes about FGM in Ethiopia
Durame, ETHIOPIA – Genet Girma, 31, was a trailblazer in her community. Fifteen years ago, she ran away from home when she learned that her mother planned to have her undergo female genital mutilation (FGM). As in many... Read more
8 February 2018
News
Merhawit Mezgebe says members of her girls' club are helping to stamp out child marriage. © UNFPA Ethiopia/Abraham Gelaw
Ethiopian women and girls see “remarkable results” in ending child marriage
KOLLA TEMBEIN, Ethiopia – Not long ago, the sight of a 10-year-old bride was a common occurrence in Ethiopia’s Kolla Tembein District, said Daniel Hagos, the district’s chief administrator.  But the community’s women... Read more
28 August 2017
News
Sileshi Deguale recounts his story, explaining why family planning was the right choice for himself and his wife. © UNFPA Ethiopia
Men in rural Ethiopia show that family planning is not just a women’s issue
SHEBEL BERENTA, Ethiopia – Sileshi Deguale was busy working alongside his family, preparing their land for planting season, but he paused to recall how difficult the work was last year. His wife had been too ill to help... Read more
28 July 2017
News
Women participate in a community discussion about ending practices that are harmful to women and girls. In this session, they are talking about child marriage. © UNFPA Ethiopia/Meron Negash
Cursed no more – women in western Ethiopia reject childbirth alone in the bush
BENISHANGUL-GUMUZ, Ethiopia – Three times, Abebech Kabla has given birth alone in the woods. Each time, she thought she might die. The first time, she was only 13 years old, a year into her marriage. “Even after giving... Read more
8 February 2017
News
Marie Josee Mukankuranga explains how she counsels women on family planning during a visit by development experts. © UNFPA/Rick Francis
Family planning a development imperative, leaders at AU Summit emphasize
ADDIS ABABA/RWAMANGANA – Marie Josee Mukankuranga stood before international health and development experts in her home in the Rwamagana District of Rwanda, talking about her community’s need for family planning. Ms.... Read more

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