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The colour purple, changing the future of Afghan mothers
KABUL, Afghanistan – Purple is the colour that midwifery students proudly wear in a small but revolutionary school in the busy Afghan capital, Kabul. In a country where a woman dies every two hours from pregnancy-…
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Caught in crisis, South Sudanese women learn to plan their families
JUBA, South Sudan – Teresa Aruoth never knew she could use family planning to help space the births of her children. Married in her teenage years, she counts herself lucky to have remained healthy in a country where one…
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Maternal deaths continue to fall, new data show
UNITED NATIONS, New York – New data from the United Nations reveal that maternal deaths have declined by 45 per cent since 1990. Some 523,000 deaths occurred from complications in pregnancy or childbirth in 1990; in…
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"Life Starts in the Hands of a Midwife"
UNITED NATIONS, New York – Every two minutes, a woman dies in pregnancy or childbirth, according to UN estimates, adding up to nearly 290,000 maternal deaths each year. Nearly 3 million newborns die each year as well.…
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Finding More Than Food at the Markets in Liberia
MONROVIA, Liberia – Every Thursday, 39-year-old Jartu Kollie walks several kilometres to the market in Pleemu Town, near the Liberian capital Monrovia. But this vibrant local market is not only a place where she can…
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Mothers, Youth Displaced by Solomon Islands Flooding
HONIARA, Solomon Islands – By 11 am on 4 April, residents knew the Mataniko River might breach its banks in Honiara, capital of the Solomon Islands, but no one knew it would wash away their homes within the hour. More…
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Parliamentarians Spotlight Rights of Women and Girls
UNITED NATIONS, New York – Hundreds of parliamentarians, dignitaries and policymakers from around the world gathered in Stockholm, Sweden, from 23 to 25 April to reaffirm their support for women’s and adolescents’ human…
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Ready-made delivery kits save women’s lives in Cameroon
GAROUA, Cameroon – The first few times she gave birth, Hadja Aminatou, of the northern Cameroonian town of Garoua, could not afford to seek care at the local hospital. Instead, she gave birth at home. But during her…
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Midwives, emergency care key to reducing Cambodia’s maternal deaths
STUNG TRENG, Cambodia – Sixteen-year-old Hang Dèng travelled for an hour by boat to reach the health centre closest to her remote Cambodian village; she was in labour and suffering complications. Access to emergency…
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