Kenya: Investing for Impact - Latest On Kenya's Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health Development Impact Bond

At a government-run dispensary located in Nairobi's Kware informal settlement, 26-year-old nurse Steven Ngang'a attends to young mothers holding their babies. The girls, all aged… Read more »

Malawi: Malawian Sisters Confirm the Lasting Effect of Dignity Kits

"The items we received have proven incredibly durable; throughout all the times we have had to move from place to place, we carried them with us, and they have continued to be… Read more »

Africa: Canada Boosts UNFPA's Efforts in Sub-Saharan Africa With U.S.$7.2 Million

Global Affairs Canada has pledged US$7.2 million to UNFPA, the United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency, to respond to severe humanitarian needs in 13 countries across… Read more »

Southern Africa: UNFPA Launches Groundbreaking Digital Innovation Strategy and Toolkit to Help End FGM and Child Marriage in East and Southern Africa

With the clock ticking towards the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), UNFPA, the United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency announced a groundbreaking new… Read more »

Tanzania: Walking Arm in Arm Towards a More Inclusive Future Where Everyone Can Access Sexual and Reproductive Health

On the outskirts of Dar es Salaam lies a colourful oasis, one where sign language is spoken across the schoolyard and students are adept at assisting one another. Two students,… Read more »

Uganda: Rising Above - Young Mothers Reclaim Their Lives After Obstetric Fistula

Uganda, Malawi, and Mozambique - Obstetric fistula, a childbirth injury that results in incontinence and social isolation, is a preventable condition that was suffered needlessly… Read more »

Africa: Menstrual Equity Is the Key to a Healthier and More Equitable World

Blog by Meron Negussie, UNFPA Regional Programme Specialist for Adolescents and Youth, to commemorate Menstrual Hygiene Day, 28 May 2024 Read more »

Africa: Celebrating Midwives - Edinah Delivers Babies, One Safe Birth At a Time

Grimacing and sweating, twenty-three-year-old Samiya, a refugee from Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is expecting her first child and is experiencing intense pain while waiting… Read more »

Africa: Urgent Call for Country Leadership and Global Solidarity to End Maternal and Newborn Deaths By 2030

The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) will join global leaders to call for renewed commitment towards progress on eradicating preventable maternal and newborn deaths at a 29… Read more »

Rwanda: A Transformative Journey to Reach Zero Preventable Maternal Deaths in Rwanda

Rwanda has undergone a remarkable journey in tackling its high maternal mortality rate over the past decade. From an alarming 1071 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births in 2010,… Read more »

Africa: Defying Tradition, Championing Rights

"Is [female genital mutilation] religious?" Under a tree in the quiet village of Dalocha Woreda in Central Ethiopia region, Nuritu Sirbar, the Head of the Dalocha district Women… Read more »

Ethiopia: Reviving Tigray's Health System to Prevent Maternal Deaths

On November 22nd, 2023, for the first time in over a year after the conflict, surgeons at Adi Daero Primary Hospital started to bring life into the world again. Forty-year-old… Read more »

Mozambique: How Family Planning Is Changing the Lives of Youth in Communities Caught in Attacks in Northern Mozambique

Early in the morning, queues begin to form outside Lichinga Health Centre as medical staff prepare to treat patients, while nearby, mentors encourage people to test for HIV and… Read more »

Southern Africa: Raising Our Hands Together - Toward an Aids-Free Future

The young girls and boys raised their arms and stomped their feet during the opening of the 22nd International Conference on AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Infections (ICASA), their… Read more »

Africa: UNFPA Adds Voice to Call to End Aids and New HIV Infections At One of the Largest International Conferences

The 22nd International Conference on AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Infections (ICASA) opened with a resounding call from key development partners - including UNFPA, the United… Read more »

Africa: The African Population Experts Committee Meeting Kicks Off

The Department of Health, Humanitarian Affairs and Social Development of the African Union Commission (AUC), in collaboration with UNFPA, the United Nations sexual and reproductive… Read more »

Mozambique: 'I Encouraged My Daughter to Use Contraceptives' - Reducing Unplanned Teen Pregnancies in Mozambique

When Eulina João, 19, became a mother at the tender age of 17, she lacked crucial knowledge about sexual and reproductive health. She believes her life could have taken a… Read more »

Kenya: Young SRHR Advocates Stand Up to Fake News and Stigma

The majority of young people living with HIV, 60 per cent of the global total, are in Eastern and Southern Africa and only 70 per cent in 12 countries in the region have access to… Read more »

Africa: Youth Leaders Innovate to Pave the Way for Ending Female Genital Mutilation and Child Marriage By 2030

In a powerful gathering of innovative minds, UNFPA, the United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency, in collaboration with the UNFPA-UNICEF Joint Programme on the… Read more »

Lesotho: Services Without Stigma - Halting HIV's Spread in Lesotho Through Non-Discriminatory Care

Since the height of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, the rate of the virus's spread has slowed significantly, with new infections down 59 per cent from 1995. But that hasn't stopped it from… Read more »

Africa: Empowering Young African Women and Girls in the Digital Age for a Mentally Resilient Future

By Shudufhadzo Musida, Miss South Africa 2020 and Regional Champion for UNFPA East and Southern Africa, to commemorate World Mental Health Day Read more »

Congo-Kinshasa: An Inside Look At Life-Saving Mobile Clinics in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the health and protection needs of women and girls are soaring. Read more »

Ethiopia: War, Pregnancy and Hope - Setyelem's Harrowing Journey of Giving Birth in Ethiopia

ATAYE, Amhara Region, Ethiopia--Mother-of-two Setyelem, 29, had been diligent about going for antenatal check-ups during her first two pregnancies. But during her third pregnancy… Read more »

Congo-Kinshasa: Beating the Odds - Resilience, Hope and Safe Births At a UNFPA Mobile Clinic in the DRC

NORTH KIVU PROVINCE, Democratic Republic of the Congo - Although heavily pregnant and in pain, Kaindo Bembeleza waited patiently along with dozens of other women on a row of… Read more »

Tanzania: Using Art and Animation to Strike Down Female Genital Mutilation in Tanzania

Glory Charles Mlagwa, 25, is a medical expert and public health specialist. She is the winner of the 2022 Spotlight Initiative-supported FGM (female genital mutilation) Hackathon,… Read more »