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“My life completely changed”: Treating bodies, minds and lives affected by obstetric fistula in Guinea-Bissau
BISSAU, Guinea-Bissau – “I didn't know what obstetric fistula was, let alone that it could be treated,” says 33-year-old mother-of-two Maria.
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Midwives in Bangladesh bring hope to survivors of Cyclone Mocha in world’s largest refugee camp
COX’S BAZAR, Bangladesh – Khadija*, 21, lives in a displacement camp for Rohingya refugees in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh. A trained midwife, she knew all too well the danger she could face as she went into labour at home…
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How UNFPA helps elderly Venezuelan migrants and refugees envision their future in Brazil
BOA VISTA, Brazil – “I had a house, a car, everything I needed. When the economic crisis started, everything came crashing down,” said 70-year-old widow Alegria Campos.
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In Angola, young people help shatter the stigma around comprehensive sexuality education
LUANDA, Angola – Silvia Francisco, 31, was struggling with a dilemma. She was concerned about a family member who wasn’t seeking the medical treatment she urgently needed, because she feared being ostracized if anyone…
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Lives of pregnant women and newborns at risk in Sudan as hospitals run out of fuel
KHARTOUM, Sudan – “We are running out of fuel. If the electricity cuts persist, we don’t know how we will be able to assist pregnant women giving birth a week from now,” said Sarah, a midwife at the Ombada Hospital in…
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“We are making a difference”: Advocating against period poverty and female genital mutilation in The Gambia
BASSE, The Gambia – “When a girl starts to menstruate, that's when the problems usually start,” said Ndeye Rose Sarr, UNFPA’s representative in The Gambia.
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Restoring hope, rebuilding lives: A day in the life of a fistula surgeon in Zambia
NORTH-WESTERN PROVINCE, Zambia – Around the world, half a million women and girls are thought to be living with obstetric fistula, a serious childbirth injury that can cause incontinence and result in significant…
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Prevention, treatment, reintegration and advocacy: How UNFPA and partners work to end obstetric fistula
UNITED NATIONS, New York – According to an African proverb, “the sun should not rise or set twice on a labouring woman”.
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Youth-friendly services scaling up in Kazakhstan, offering critical sexual and reproductive health care
ALMATY, Kazakhstan – "It was my first time with my boyfriend. We didn’t use a condom,” 17-year-old Amina* told UNFPA at one of the youth-friendly health centres in Almaty, Kazakhstan’s biggest city.
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