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Once frowned on, family planning offers a lifeline in South Sudan
Life is harsh in the northern city of Malakal. Once a vibrant commercial hub, much of Malakal is now a ghost town, its residents crammed into a protection camp on the city’s outskirts. Even there, safety is not assured…
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Giving birth amid Boko Haram insurgency; UNFPA reaching millions with care
Zarah Bunu was just a teenager when she was forced to flee her home in north-eastern Nigeria in 2014. The steady drumbeat of fear and violence caused by the Boko Haram insurgency pushed her and millions of others into…
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Haitian women felled by preventable cancer; simple test to save lives
Midwife Amoin Soulemane is running late for her appointment. With the consent of her patient, a 48-year-old woman, Ms. Soulemane quickly ushers her guests into the consultation. They will be observing a cervical cancer…
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Campaign brings condoms, HIV testing and hugs to the Olympics
The #EuAbraço, or “#iEmbrace,” campaign is a massive public health initiative targeting Olympics spectators, fans and athletes with condoms, sexual and reproductive health information, HIV testing, information about…
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Joint UN programme aims to empower over 1 million girls in Mozambique
“Before I entered the safe space, I was shy, and it was difficult for me to express myself. I spent my free time after school with vulnerable girlfriends my age who had left school to marry, and some were even pregnant…
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Escape from Fallujah: Pregnant residents describe life on the run from ISIL
Residents of the long-embattled city of Fallujah are accustomed to hardship. But even for this battle-tested population, life under the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) was a nightmare,…
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Dispatches from the road: Goodwill Ambassador Ashley Judd on conflict, abuse and healing in Ukraine
"It’s amazing to me, on this, my first trip to Ukraine, how beautiful it is, and how much ugly gender violence there is. Every fifth Ukrainian woman has suffered from physical and/or sexual violence. Between 2007…
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As crisis escalates in Yemen, pregnant women need essential care
Civilian fatalities are mounting in Yemen, with some of the deadliest episodes of violence taking place in the last two months. UNFPA estimates over 400,000 pregnant women are caught in the conflict, requiring essential…
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Girls in Uganda become SDG "ambassadors," fight teen pregnancy with poetry
Talking about sexual and reproductive health is not easy, especially in the conservative corners of Uganda. But the girls of Buddo Secondary School found a powerful way to address the issue: poetry.
“Plan…