DAMASCUS, Syria – “It was the worst experience of our lives, especially after ten years of crisis in Syria,” said Najwa* about her recent life-threatening ordeal, which exemplified how maternal and child health can suffer catastrophically during conflicts. 

Najwa’s story started in early August when she was forced to flee her home with her husband and five children following the outbreak of hostilities in Daraa Al-Balad in southern Syria. Compounding her misfortune was the fact that she was nine months pregnant. 

UNITED NATIONS, Cairo – “I felt ashamed of my body. I did not know how to clean it or how to take care of it. I did not understand the purpose of my menstrual cycle because I did not receive any sexual health information at that age,” one young woman from Palestine, recalling her first period at age 12. “I felt heavy and helpless at that time every month, for years to follow. It wasn't until very much later, when I was in my twenties, that things seemed to make more sense.”

This woman’s experience is all too common across the Arab states region.

UNITED NATIONS, New York – On 11 October, organizations and activists around the world will mark the International Day of the Girl Child, shining a spotlight on the rights, needs,  vulnerabilities, contributions and future potential of girls everywhere.

The theme for the day is “My Voice, Our Equal Future” because girls’ voices are seldom heard – not in the halls of governments, nor in homes or classrooms.

But what do we learn when we finally listen to girls?

DAMASCUS, Syria – In Syria, communities are struggling under the weight of the prolonged war, an escalating economic crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic. More than 11 million people across the country are in need of humanitarian support.