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A 72-year-old refugee from Ukraine tells of a life left torn apart by war
In the midst of Russia’s bombardment of her hometown of Mykolaiv in southern Ukraine, 72-year-old Valentina Ejova made a decision that would divide her life into before and after. Over the course of a few hours, she…
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In her words: A heavy monsoon, a flooded hospital and twins on the way. A midwife’s story in Bangladesh
Shakila Parvin has been a UNFPA-trained midwife in the refugee camps of Cox’s Bazar since 2019. In Bangladesh, obstetric care during delivery by medically trained providers, which contributes to reducing maternal and…
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Ukrainian refugees build new lives far from home
Ivanna Povchenuik was four months pregnant when she and her two children fled their home in Ivano-Frankivsk in western Ukraine, leaving behind her 65-year-old father, who wished to stay. Their destination was Antwerp,…
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“I’ve grown a few years in 26 days”: A teenager’s life during wartime
On 24 February, 11th-grader Viktoria Kravets had a typical day planned: classes at top secondary school Gymnasium Prestige then meeting up with a friend after school. The night before, she had forgotten to set her alarm…
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Midwives ensure life-saving reproductive health care for women returning to Afghanistan
Sexual and reproductive health needs have spiralled for women and girls since the Taliban takeover in August 2021, with restricted access to services and limited freedom of movement. UNFPA has launched a humanitarian…
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“War trauma hunts them all”: Psychosocial support for Ukrainian refugees
On a recent day in the capital, psychologist Dr. Natalia Gandrabur was not where she usually works – a Youth Friendly Health Clinic that is part of a UNFPA-supported network of 41 such clinics across the country…
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Free maternal services are a lifeline to expectant mothers in Yemen
On her way to the health centre to give birth, Hailah almost fell off the back of a borrowed motorbike – twice. A lack of oil has driven up high transportation costs, and the money her husband, Hamid, made in Saudi…
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A 12-hour walk at 7 months pregnant: Escape from the horrors of war in Ukraine
Amid the violence, fear and deepening uncertainty that followed Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, 21-year-old Natasha Kuznetsova fled her home in the country’s second-largest city of Kharkiv, which has seen destruction on a…
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More than $250 million needed to sustain humanitarian response for women and girls in Afghanistan
“I had a miscarriage and my two-year-old daughter got sick,” Anisa* recalled after her local health facility stopped providing maternal and newborn health services. “We both needed medical care, but we did not know…
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