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 »

Malawi: A Warm Winter for Women and Girls Displaced By Tropical Cyclone Freddy

Mulanje, MALAWI - As dark clouds rolled over Ng'omba village in Mulanje, Daliso Simon gathered her harvest in a rush, as she didn't want to get caught in the impending storm. All… 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 »

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 »

Africa: Lighting the Way for Women and Girls

What women and girls want and need matters Read more »

Africa: The Power of Gender Equality in Creating a World of Infinite Possibilities

World Population Day, 11 July Read more »

Ethiopia: As Drought and Floods Threaten Millions in Ethiopia, Midwives Are a Lifeline for Pregnant Women and Newborns

"Saving the life of this baby was a miracle and a blessing for my family. I am immensely grateful," said Amino Bashir, 25, as she held her newborn. Read more »

South Africa: Transformative Programme Gets New $42 Million Injection From Sweden

"Young girls in Uthukela have been spared unwanted pregnancies, because I was empowered as a mentor to give them prevention options," said nurse Gugu Shangase from Wembezi Clinic… Read more »

South Sudan: Sweden Invests U.S.$8.4 Million for Improving the Health and Well-Being of Women, Girls and Young People

Sweden announced its commitment of 90 million Swedish Krona ($8.4 million) to UNFPA, the United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency, to implement its fourth Country… Read more »

Southern Africa: Sweden Invests $42 Million to Improve Sexual and Reproductive Health in East and Southern Africa

Sweden today announced a further investment of $42 million for sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), in an effort to transform the lives of millions of people in East… 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 »

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 »

Mozambique: Survivors of Cyclone Freddy Face Worst Cholera Outbreak in Two Decades

Tropical Cyclone Freddy and widespread flooding have swept through Mozambique, killing 183 people and leaving more than 640,000 homeless. Making matters worse, in the aftermath of… Read more »

Africa: Population Bomb, Bust - or Boon? New UNFPA Report Debunks 8 Myths About a World of 8 Billion

On 15 November 2022, the world's population reached a landmark 8 billion people. It's a staggering number - but what does it mean? What are the implications for the lives, rights,… Read more »

Africa: UNFPA Report Urges Radical Rethink of How Countries Address Changing Demographics

New data reveals population anxieties are widespread and governments are increasingly adopting policies aimed at raising, lowering or maintaining fertility rates. But efforts to… Read more »

Congo-Kinshasa: DRC Midwives Use New Groundbreaking Birthing Model With Survivors of Sexual Violence

When 16-year-old Esther* arrived at Panzi hospital in Bukavu, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, doctors confirmed her worst fear: she was pregnant. Esther had been raped… Read more »

South Sudan: Protecting Women and Girls Against Sexual Violence in the World's Youngest Country

After suffering years of physical and emotional abuse at the hands of her husband, including a denial of resources, Aluel was considering taking her own life. Then members of her… Read more »

Africa: Women and Girls Have the Right to Live Free From Violence and Have Agency Over Their Bodies and Lives

Statement by UNFPA Executive Director Dr. Natalia Kanem on International Women's Day Read more »

Africa: Five Reasons Why Women and Girls Must Have Equal Rights in Our Digital World

International Women's Day is an occasion for people around the world to celebrate the contributions of women and girls to all aspects of human progress. But it is also an… Read more »

Kenya: 'Midwives Are the Bridge' - Educator Duncan Shikuku On Helping Maternal Health Providers Ease Women's Fears and Save Lives

Midwifery educator Duncan Shikuku will never forget the day in 2011 when a new mother was rushed into the hospital where he worked, carried by her family. Read more »

Southern Africa: New Hope for Reducing Cervical Cancer Deaths in East and Southern Africa

A poignant story about a woman from Malawi this week resonates deeply with me. At the age of 40, Mary went for cervical cancer screening and tested positive. Because the cancer had… 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 »

East Africa: Women and Girls Fleeing Somalia's Drought Grapple Gender-Based Violence in Daadab Refugee Camps

Around Christmas time last year, Rukia Yaroow Ali, 38, arrived at Hagadera refugee camp in Daadab. Hunger and insecurity had forced her to flee her village in Jilib in Somalia,… Read more »

Africa: The Road to Ending Female Genital Mutilation Must Be Paved in Partnership With Men and Boys

Joint Opinion Editorial from Mohamed Fall, UNICEF Regional Director, Eastern and Southern Africa and Lydia Zigomo, UNFPA Regional Director, East and Southern Africa, on… Read more »

Malawi: Hacked With a Machete By Her Husband, Young Woman Gets Justice With Spotlight Initiative Support

Anna Salima, 24, has painful memories of her two marriages. With her first marriage, it took her just a week to realize she had married the wrong man. Yet she stayed for five… Read more »