Southern Africa: UNFPA Offers Funding to Young Innovators for Climate Change Solutions to Advance Gender Equality and Community Resilience

UNFPA, the United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency is pleased to announce the launch of the next installment of its HackLab series through the East and Southern Africa… Read more »

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 »

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: Embracing Resilience - a Call to Action for Women and Girls in Small Island Developing States

"Woman is the thread. A woman is the needle. She is the weaver of family and society." 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 »

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 »

Ethiopia: How Midwife Mentors Make It Safer for Women to Give Birth in Ethiopia's Fragile Areas

Imagine being a midwife in a remote, fragile context, like the Afar region in Ethiopia. This hot low-land and desert-like area has been affected by conflict, driving up the… 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 »

Zimbabwe: Prisca's Story - 'I Thought I Had Lost It All'

Prisca,* a 22-year-old young woman who lives in Chiredzi Rural, Zambia, has faced a harrowing ordeal. One night, while asleep in a room with two toddlers, an unknown man broke into… Read more »

Africa: Breaking Barriers - Investing in the Future of Women and Girls

As the world commemorates International Women's Day on March 8th, we stand united in celebrating the remarkable achievements of women and girls across the globe. 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 »

Africa: Long Road in a Short Time - Ending FGM Calls for Immediate Action

"A woman is a full circle; within her is the power to create, nurture, and transform." Read more »

Ethiopia: Beskeshe - Creating a Space to Empower Young Girls

Hana and Mertnesh, both 14-year-old girls, attend Bule Hora Elementary School, in the Oromia region. They share a special bond as members of Her Space, Beskeshe in the local… Read more »

Africa: Spotlight Initiative Endorses Call to End FGM in Current Generation

With the backing of the African Union, UNFPA, UNICEF and the Spotlight Initiative Africa Regional programme, the 2nd International Conference on Female Genital Mutilation brought… 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 »

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 »

Africa: The Digital Space Is the New Frontier for Gender-Based Violence

Today (International Day of the Girl Child, 11 October 2023: Digital Generation. Our Generation.), 77 million adolescent girls in East and Southern Africa encapsulate boundless… 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: Portable Ultrasounds Give Pregnant Women a Ray of Hope Amid Crisis in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

"Most of the women here have never had an ultrasound scan in their lives - even though on average they've already given birth more than five times," said Charmante Sibamza, a… 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 »

Africa: Five Things You Need to Know About Consent to Sex

Everyone has the right to make their own choices about their bodies. Yet millions of people are denied their right to say no to sex - or yes to the choice of a marriage partner or… 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 »

Africa: Women of African Descent Continue to Carry the Torch for Justice Amid Longstanding Inequities

Statement by UNFPA Executive Director Dr. Natalia Kanem on the International Day for People of African Descent 2023 Read more »

Mozambique: From Bullying to Respectful - Cleiton's Club Ignites Shift in Gender Perspectives Among Mozambican Boys

Just 14 years old, Cleiton Adriano has set himself an admirable goal. The ninth grader is holding awareness-raising activities with his peers to help create an inclusive space at… Read more »