Zimbabwe: 'When I Looked in the Mirror, I Knew I Had Had Enough of His Abuse'

"When I met this man, I thought I had been given another chance at love," says 41-year-old Lungile*. She shifts uncomfortably on her seat. "I had no idea that things would turn out… 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 »

Africa: Hearing and Healing Survivors of Sexual Violence Is Essential to Lasting Peace

International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict (19 June) 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: Empowering Girls Today for a Better Tomorrow - UNFPA's Mandate On International Day of the Girl Child

By Shudufhadzo Musida, Former Miss South Africa and UNFPA Regional Champion 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 »

Congo-Kinshasa: 'Sometimes She Was Desperate' - How Survivors of Sexual Violence in the DRC Are Healing With the Help of UNFPA's Frontline Workers

NORTH KIVU PROVINCE  - "I was going to fetch firewood from the forest to cook food for myself and my six children, when I came across armed men." Read more »

Rwanda: UNFPA Announces Kigali Call to Action At Women Deliver, Calling for Accelerated Efforts to Promote Women and Girls' Bodily Autonomy

Yesterday, at the Women Deliver Conference in Kigali, UNFPA announced the Kigali Call to Action: United for Women and Girls' Bodily Autonomy during its Pre-Conference event with… Read more »

Ethiopia: Tigray's Road to Recovery - How a Maternity Waiting Home Restores Hope for Pregnant Women

Nine-months pregnant with her first child, Tigist Gebrerefael, 23, did not want to experience the agony other women in her rural enclave had endured during childbirth. "I have seen… Read more »

Southern Africa: UNFPA Esaro Launches 2023 'We Scale' FGM Hacklab

Imagine a world where every idea has the power to change lives, where young visionaries like you can shape the future. We've already witnessed the immense potential of UNFPA East… Read more »

Rwanda: Putting Adolescent and Youth Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights At Front and Centre

Community engagement has been regarded as a vital component to ensure that adolescents and young people have access to information on Sexual and Reproductive Health and rights… Read more »

Africa: Risking Death to Deliver Life - Too Many Women Are Still Paying the Ultimate Price

Joint Op-ed by Lydia Zigomo, Regional Director, UNFPA East and Southern Africa and Dr. Julitta Onabanjo, Director of UNFPA Technical Division Read more »

Africa: Curbing the Alarming Rates of Maternal and Newborn Deaths - UNFPA and Partners Call for Urgent Action to Invest in Midwifery

Every two minutes, a woman dies during pregnancy or childbirth; every 16 minutes, a baby is stillborn - most of these deaths are preventable with access to skilled midwives. Read more »

Madagascar: How One Woman Went Into Labour As Cyclone Freddy Slammed Into Madagascar

"We knew the delivery was imminent and that everything was going well... But we didn't know it was going to be today." Georgette, a 26-year-old mother from Manakara in Madagascar,… Read more »

South Sudan: 'Early Marriage, Unintended Pregnancies the Elephant in the Room in Displaced Persons Camp'

Mother-of-five Rebecca Nyakot, displaced from Unity State following the outbreak of conflict in South Sudan in 2013, often goes for long periods without food or clean, drinkable… Read more »

Mozambique: Reshaping Masculinity - 'I Changed the Way I See the World. When a Girl Says No, It Is No'

At seventeen, Vasco César is rethinking some of his views, especially about women. "I always thought that because I was a man, I had to have more privileges than my sisters,… Read more »

Mozambique: 'I Can Now Go Back to School' - Teenage Mother Overjoyed She Can Prevent Unintended Pregnancies With Contraception

Fátima António, 18, the mother of a five-month-old boy, told UNFPA she was "apprehensive and hesitant" about using contraception. She is not alone. Nampula province… Read more »

Botswana: Achieving Her Dream and Promoting Rights - Journey of a Young Woman With a Disability

Raised by a single mother in the village of Rasesa, Tsaone Mosweu was born with a genetic eye disorder that would impair her vision. "At age 10, I developed cataracts and had… Read more »

Africa: Innovative Solutions for Ending Female Genital Mutilation Win Seed Funding

Two ground-breaking innovative solutions for ending female genital mutilation (FGM) on the continent are the winners of UNFPA's FGM Innovation Hacklab. Read more »

Africa: 'For Women and Girls, No Place Is Safe' - Urgent Action Needed to Combat Digital Violence

"Can you put a price tag on human life? Can there be a penalty strong enough against those who, for their own amusement, mentally torture people until they end their own lives?" Read more »

Africa: Violence Against Women and Girls - Stand in Solidarity and Say 'Enough', UNFPA Says

Statement by UNFPA Executive Director Dr. Natalia Kanem on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women 2022 Read more »

South Africa: UNFPA Unveils Exciting New Partnership With Miss South Africa 2020, Shudufhadzo Musida

Statement by Lydia Zigomo, Regional Director on the launch of new Regional Champion, 22 November 2022 Read more »

South Africa: New UNFPA Regional Champion to Help Make the World a Safer, Better Place for Women and Girls

UNFPA's first ever Regional Champion is Shudufhadzo Musida, author and Miss South Africa 2020. Read more »

South Africa: UNFPA Announces Partnership With Miss South Africa 2020 Shudufhadzo Musida As New Regional Champion

UNFPA, the United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency, announced the appointment of Miss South Africa 2020, Shudufhadzo Musida, as UNFPA Regional Champion. Read more »

Africa: Global Quest to End FGM By 2030 'Needs All Hands On Deck'

UNFPA-UNICEF Joint Programme on the Elimination of Female Genital Mutilation is acelerating efforts to end FGM Read more »