Gambia: Female Genital Mutilation in Infancy Still Common, Gambian Mothers Say

Hulay Damba, 55, spent years performing female genital mutilation on girls in her community. Her role as a practitioner was passed down from her grandmother. "It was what I was… Read more »

Africa: International Humanitarian Law Flouted As Health and Aid Workers Are Targeted in Conflicts Around the World

Across the world, wars are being waged on the very systems set up to protect civilian populations: Health workers, hospitals, health centres and ambulances are being targeted in… Read more »

South Sudan: The Scars of Gender-Based Violence Run Deep in South Sudan - but So Does the Will to Heal

BAHR EL GHAZAL REGION, South Sudan - Tucked between mango trees in a compound in Wau, a town in the western Bahr el Ghazal region of South Sudan, stands a quiet shelter. On the… Read more »

Chad: Pregnant Refugees in Chad See Faltering Sexual and Reproductive Health Care Amid Funding Crisis

"I arrived at the health center very early this morning for a prenatal appointment, but I've already been waiting for several hours," Amina told UNFPA, the United Nations sexual… Read more »

Somalia: A Chance to Breathe - How Life-Saving Incubators Are Transforming Newborn Care in Somalia

"I didn't know if she would make it." When Faduma Mohamed gave birth to her daughter at Banadir Hospital in Mogadishu, the silence that followed was terrifying. Her premature… Read more »

Congo-Kinshasa: Lack of Reproductive Rights and Choices Undermines a Generation of Young People in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

GOMA, Democratic Republic of the Congo - "I wanted three children," Ombeni Mburano, 31, told UNFPA, the United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency. "I've already had… Read more »

Sudan: 'As Widespread As Guns and Bullets' - Sexual Violence Used to Terrorize Sudan's Women and Girls

"Every woman and girl here is at risk, no matter her age or background. No one is safe," said Khadija*, a midwife at a maternity clinic in Sudan's eastern Gedaref State. Read more »

Africa: The Fertility Fallacy - Five Things You Didn't Know About Global Fertility Rates

"Do you want kids?" Every day, people around the world ask themselves, and others, this question. But it also begs another: "Do you feel able to have children?" Read more »

Africa: Don't Let the Lights Go Out - UNFPA Urges Support for Women and Girls in the World's Most Neglected Crises

In 2025, as crises multiply and conflicts become increasingly protracted, humanitarian aid budgets are being slashed across the board. Yet in many emergency settings, it is… Read more »

Namibia: The Waiting Game - How a Maternity Home in Namibia Is Offering Women and Newborns a Better Chance At Surviving - and Thriving

Kuliua Maundu, 26, remembers the night seven years ago like it was yesterday. "I was at home when the pain started," she said. "I thought it was just labour, so I tried to sleep,… Read more »