LOEI, Thailand — After four days of trekking from his village by foot, a two-day bus ride across Bhutan, an international flight to Bangkok and a long van ride, Sonam finally arrived at this mountainous province in northeastern Thailand. The midwife from Gelephu, a small village in eastern Bhutan, was one of more than 20 Bhutanese health professionals selected to participate in a technical training on reproductive health care services. The programme, supported by UNFPA, is part of a … [Read more...]
UNRWA, Syria midwife delivers baby in harsh conditions
January 19, 2013 by
Damascus The vibrant cry of a baby burst out from a small room in the Khan Eshieh refugee camp in southern Damascus. Forced to find refuge in a shelter housing another 15 people, Mayada Yahya gave birth in a small room with no privacy. The room has provided shelter to Mayada and her husband ever since they fled the fighting in Daraya, near Damascus, a few months ago. Little did she know that she would be delivering their child in this same room months later. Makeshift … [Read more...]
SIGN to Save Women’s Healthcare – Take Action!
December 13, 2012 by
At the end of 2012, budget cuts will go into effect that could decimate vital healthcare programs for women and children. If the budget for Health and Human Services is reduced, preventative care programs for more than 5 million women could be eliminated. Also in jeopardy is the Affordable Care Act, which provides cancer screenings to more than 45 million women, and WIC, which safeguards the health of 53% of U.S. infants and 9 million low-income women and their families. We cannot … [Read more...]
MADAGASCAR: Traditional midwives back in fashion
December 13, 2012 by
BETRAKA, December 2012 (IRIN) - Madagascar’s traditional midwives, or ‘matronnes’, are often thought to undermine safe childbirth practices, delivering babies in unsanitary environments and without provisions to manage complications. Yet they are now being recruited to a campaign to get women to deliver in clinics or hospitals, part of a move to lower maternal and newborn death rates. “We have more work than ever,” said matronnes Bertine, 52, and Marnette, 51. The women, who are cousins, … [Read more...]
Contraception in Tajikistan: Poverty, Religion and Mothers-in-law
November 14, 2012 by
KHOVALING, Tajikistan --- “Things were different in my day,” says 70-year-old Tojigul Qurbonova, a mother of ten. “Mothers with a lot of children were showered with benefits and had a good life,” she adds, showing off a ‘Mother Hero’ certificate she was awarded in 1980. In those days, under the Soviet Union, big families were encouraged and supported. Mothers with more than five children were awarded gold medals, apartments, telephones, and received financial help in the form of child … [Read more...]
Syrian Women Cope, ZA’ATARI REFUGEE CAMP
November 14, 2012 by
ZA’ATARI REFUGEE CAMP, Mafreq, Jordan — Syrian women residing in the are trying to cope with life in the fenced area that hosts some 40,000 refugees, by engaging in several activities organized by UNFPA. For Fathieh, participating in these activities helps kill time. “Currently, I train women on weaving and embroidery skills, and I learn other handicrafts,” said the mother of ten. Fathieh noted that she attended workshops about family planning organized by the UNFPA and the Noor Al … [Read more...]
UNFPA: Trends in Maternal Mortality
October 16, 2012 by
Trends in Maternal Mortality: 1990 to 2010 New maternal mortality estimates confirm that the number of women dying in pregnancy and childbirth is declining. Along with other indicators, this joint U.N. report validates the fact that we are making progress in saving mothers’ lives, even if progress is slower than what is called for by the Millennium Development Goals. Rapid progress in some countries demonstrates that when governments take a strategic approach to the safe motherhood … [Read more...]
UGANDA: Family planning pledges need on-the-ground action
October 4, 2012 by
KAMPALA, October 2012 (IRIN) - Family planning advocates in Uganda have scored some major financial and policy wins this year, but experts remain concerned that inadequate political commitment and poor health services will continue to impede women’s and girls’ access to contraceptives. At a global family planning summit in July, Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni announced that his government would increase its annual expenditure on family planning supplies from US$3.3million to $5million for … [Read more...]
Columbia, Bogota – Progress for Women and Young People
September 23, 2012 by
BOGOTA — UNFPA Executive Director Dr. Babatunde Osotimehin visited Colombia, for the first time, to review the country's progress in reducing maternal deaths and teen pregnancy, two of the indicators for the Millennium Development Goal on improving maternal health. Day One: Dr. Osotimehin began his visit touring two health centres in Bogota, where UNFPA has been supporting the work of the city's Health Secretariat. In Bosa, one of Bogota's most populous neighbourhoods— with one of the … [Read more...]
ZA’ATARI REFUGEE CAMP, Mafraq, Jordan – Clinic with female gynecologist
September 18, 2012 by
ZA'ATARI REFUGEE CAMP, Mafraq, Jordan — As a way to address both health needs and cultural sensitivities, UNFPA is supporting a reproductive health clinic with a female gynecologist in the Za'atari camp for Syrian refugees who have fled to Jordan. Some 27,000 Syrian refugees are now living in the camp. Many are women who feel more at ease in seeing a female doctor, especially when dealing with reproductive health issues. Buthaina, for instance, was in her ninth month of pregnancy when … [Read more...]
Ethiopian Fistula Surgeons Train Physicians in Mozambique, Women’s Maternal Health
September 18, 2012 by
BEIRA, Mozambique — Following a successful fistula repair surgery, 25-year-old Esther Joakim Chimoio envisions a better life. Although her husband abandoned her because of her condition, she now has ambitious plans that will allow her to take care of her children on her own. "I want to go back and start my own banana and orange business to support my children. Before I was working in the fields for a woman in my area due to my limited strength because of fistula," she says, beaming. Esther … [Read more...]
UGANDA, “Option B+” prevention of mother-to-child HIV transmission, (PMTCT)
September 15, 2012 by
KAMPALA, September 2012 (PlusNews) - The government of Uganda has launched the UN World Health Organization's (WHO) "Option B+" to boost the prevention of mother-to-child HIV transmission (PMTCT). Uganda currently uses a PMTCT system similar to WHO's Option A, which involves single-dose antiretroviral (ARV) drugs for the mother - if her CD4 count, a measure of immune strength, is over 350 - from the 14th week, as well as ARVs during labour, delivery and one week post-partum. Pregnant women … [Read more...]
United Republic of Tanzania tackles mother-to-child transmission of HIV
September 6, 2012 by
NJOMBE REGION, United Republic of Tanzania, – A group of HIV-infected mothers and their partners have formed a mothers’ support group attached to their local health clinic in Kitulo Ward, Makete District, United Republic of Tanzania. Members of the group give psychosocial support to one another and assist HIV-positive women to follow up with their medical check-ups and treatment. The group also provides information to the community about preventing mother-to-child transmission … [Read more...]
DPRK: Right Food Gives Confidence To Pregnant Women
August 18, 2012 by
DPRK: Right Food Gives Confidence To Pregnant Women SOUTH PYONGYANG - Twenty-nine-year old Kim Yong Sim from the urban up area of Anju City is expecting her baby in two months. With her husband working at a power plant, her family, including her in-laws, are mostly reliant on the food rations provided by the state though the Public Distribution Centres (PDC). Last month, each member of Kim Yong Sim's family received 10.05kg of cereals, however, this month the ration size has been … [Read more...]
