USA FOR UNFPA

The last time Omaira—a member of the Yukpa Indigenous community in Venezuela—went into labor, she nearly died. The mother of six thought she knew what to expect when the labor pains began, but immediately she knew something was wrong. Thanks to the quick response of her medical staff, both Omaira and her child survived the delivery, but the birth left her traumatized and afraid of ever enduring another pregnancy. 

When UNFPA visited her community and shared information on contraceptives and family planning, she knew that it was time to take control of her fertility and health. She told her husband that she would be getting birth control. She opted to receive a birth control implant at a UNFPA clinic—and now, she looks at the future with hope. 

“I take care of my health. I want to see my grandchildren and granddaughters; I’m going to see the future of my children.”

For women living in villages along Myanmar’s Irrawaddy River, the water is both peaceful and isolating. For many, the nearest health facility is multiple hours away via motorbike – leaving women and girls with no easy way to access critical care such as maternal health care, family planning services, or violence response efforts. But two innovative UNFPA floating clinics are bringing care directly to the women and girls that need it. These floating clinics travel from village to village, providing everything from family planning services to minor surgeries.

One of the people that benefited from this program is Ngu War. The clinic visited her village and hosted a family planning session, which included addressing common misconceptions about birth control and how to make an informed decision about if and which kind to choose. Between 2021-2023, the two floating clinics conducted 50 medical missions along the river and helped nearly 40,000 people like Ngu War take control of their reproductive futures.

Mwanaisha always knew that she wanted a small family – but fears and misinformation about birth control side effects kept her from using modern contraception. And she’s not alone: according to recent estimates, 19% of partnered Tanzanian women want to prevent pregnancy, but lack access to contraception. As a result, the fertility rate is about 4.5 children per woman – more children than Mwanaisha wanted.

When a UNFPA worker came to her village, Mwanaisha was eager to learn. The health worker explained the range of contraceptives available, as well as potential side effects and efficacy rates. Mwanaisha left the session able to make an informed decision about her health and future.

“Now, I can focus on giving my children a better life.”

Prior to her participation in SAFETEEN First – a UNFPA program to promote sexual health education among young people in Thailand, Mexico, and Pakistan – Jennifer knew very little about her own body. “Everything I’ve learned has been completely different from what I’ve studied in school,” she shared with us.

Once Jennifer learned the basics, she began to see the world differently. She became more invested in her health overall, became an advocate for reproductive health among her friends. She even became an intern of the Mexico Vivo Foundation, a partner of UNFPA. Now, in part because she was able to delay motherhood and pursue her education, she’s studying International Relations at university. Jennifer dreams of someday working to promote women’s health at an international organization like UNFPA.

SAFETEEN First is poised to reach 20,000 young people like Jennifer living in vulnerable communities each year.

Kadiatou was 17 when she became pregnant for the first time. There were few health centers in her mountainous village in Guinea, and she didn’t know that giving birth at home could be so dangerous. So, when she first went into labor, she stayed put—but after two intense days, she knew she needed to get professional help. Tragically, it was too late: “When we wanted to go to the health center, I gave birth on the way. The child was already dead.”

Kadiatou would later learn that she had developed an obstetric fistula. Obstetric fistula is a debilitating childbirth injury that occurs when prolonged labor creates a hole or tear in the birth canal and causes the mother to leak urine or feces constantly. The condition is largely preventable with timely healthcare and, today, primarily affects the most vulnerable women—those living in impoverished or remote areas who lack access to care.

Many fistula survivors suffer from chronic infections and are abandoned by their husbands and communities. Tragically, 90% of obstetric fistula cases result in stillbirth. As a result of the immense suffering caused by this condition, many survivors also develop mental health conditions like anxiety and depression. 

Kadiatou lived with her fistula for two decades—but everything changed when she received a series of fistula repair surgeries from UNFPA. After her third surgery, she made a full recovery, finally healing her decades-long injury.

Midwife Mariza had been working at a family health house for just one year when the Taliban seized control of Afghanistan. As the country descended into chaos, Mariza and her colleagues were worried about their ability to continue to work, travel, and learn — but they knew that leaving pregnant women alone to navigate childbirth wasn’t an option. “I was also scared, but if I left, all our efforts to prevent maternal and newborn deaths would have gone to waste.” 

So Mariza stayed — and because of this decision, she was able to provide lifesaving care to Sughra, who was nine months pregnant when the conflict escalated. Struggling to find somewhere that remained open to give birth, Sughra decided to travel three hours back to her father’s village where Mariza’s clinic was. A few days after arriving she went into labor, and Mariza guided her through a long, strenuous delivery, ultimately welcoming a healthy baby into the world.

“If the clinic hadn’t existed during those days, God knows what could have happened to me,” Sughra shared with us.

Siannie always knew that she wanted to follow in her mother’s footsteps and be a midwife—but it wasn’t until she began working in the field that she realized just how big of a difference she could make. In a country that still suffers persistent racism against Black and Indigenous people, many of these women have either been ignored by health providers or avoid seeking out healthcare entirely because they fear they’ll be mistreated.

But Siannie is ensuring that these historically underrepresented groups can see themselves represented in her and her care. Not only do her Black and Indigenous patients feel safe and comfortable in her care, but Siannie also works to weave in cultural practices into her work so they feel understood.

“We implemented a care proposal that removed barriers and made sexual and reproductive health care accessible, warm and culturally relevant for a group of women who were vulnerable and had been excluded,” Siannie told us.

When Samueline first felt contractions, she stayed put—because she had already made the decision to deliver her child at home. “I was worried about the expense of going to hospital,” she shared with us. And she’s not alone: in her country of Madagascar, three in five deliveries occur at home without a midwife or other skilled healthcare provider. 

But she realized too late that her labor had become dangerous. She went to her local health center for help, but the health staff quickly realized that she was in urgent need of specialized care. Samueline’s only hope would be to make it to the nearest hospital 125 miles away. 

If not for a UNFPA ambulance that was able to reach her quickly, Samueline wouldn’t have even had the chance to get to the hospital. After a long, treacherous journey, Samueline was rushed into surgery. Both Samueline and her baby girl survived. 

When Iman’s father lost his job and could no longer provide for his family, he decided to marry off his daughters — both to bring in money and to reduce the number of mouths to feed. Iman’s oldest sister was married at 14, and Iman, who was just 8, was married to Salim, age 33, for a bride price of about $1,000.

Although marriage under the age of 15 is illegal in Yemen, neither the consent nor even the presence of the girl being married is required for a marriage to take place. Iman’s father and Salim went to the district center and lied about Iman’s age on the marriage contract – a practice that is far too common.

Iman likely would have stayed married, if not for nearby UNFPA staff hearing about an 8-year-old girl being married. UNFPA reported the case to a local lawyer, and an investigation confirmed Iman’s true age. With UNFPA’s support, she filed and was granted a divorce. 

Iman was married on paper for two weeks. She will start fourth grade in September.

Like many girls in her community, Imane had been subjected to female genital mutilation (FGM) as a child. Years later, she realized that the procedure had left her with excruciating periods – but Imane no longer had a mother to talk to about her pain. Finally, she worked up the courage to tell her father. He not only listened to Imane, he supported her and decided that he would not allow any of her younger sisters to be cut.

Together, Imane and her father became advocates to end FGM in Djibouti – where more than 70% of girls over the age of 15 are cut. Imane and her father became a part of the UNFPA She and Her network – a campaign that was created to train female leaders to advocate for women’s health and rights in Djibouti.

“My story, once shrouded in silence, has become my symbol of hope and resilience, supported by the strength of my father’s listening and love,” Imane shared. “Men must understand that female genital mutilation is not just a woman’s burden – violence is never just a women’s issue.”

Soon after finishing her Master’s degree in Poland, Aynur returned to Azerbaijan to begin her career and met the man who would soon become her husband. She described the beginning of the relationship as “blissful”. Then the abuse began. Aynur’s husband began to restrict access to her phone, prohibited her from going anywhere alone and cut her off from her relatives. When Aynur asked her husband if he was being unfaithful, he punished her by locking her in a room for days on end without food.

Aynur eventually gave birth to their daughter, and hoped the abuse would end. Instead, she found herself more trapped than ever before. After several years and failed attempts to leave, Aynur came across a UNFPA helpline number for women and girls affected by violence. Aynur contacted the number and received mental health and professional support to restart her career. After eight sessions, Aynur left her husband and took both her and her daughter to safety.

In recent years, the village of Yapatera in northern Perú has been slammed by torrential rains, cyclones, and flooding. These climate disasters have not only destroyed homes and businesses—they’ve also isolated women and girls in abusive situations.

“Women who were undergoing psychological violence, or who were being beaten or raped, had nowhere to turn,” Lilian León shared with us. A farmer, craftswoman, activist, and survivor of violence herself, Lilian decided that she couldn’t sit back while the women and girls in her community endured violence alone. She began to look for signs of abuse and connected survivors she identified with care.

Now, she’s part of a network of more than 30 women leaders linking survivors in Perú with mental health support and legal aid—services that are bolstered by UNFPA teams in the region. UNFPA is supporting 13 safe houses and a team of mobile health clinics in northern Perú, and working with women like Lilian to reach those in need. “There is a before and an after regarding their arrival. We feel stronger,” Lilian shared with us, reflecting on her partnership with UNFPA.

“I will continue as far as my strength allows me, as long as I can breathe, so that we can see empowered girls in my village, girls free of violence and abuse,” Lilian vowed. 

Ala’a found out that she was pregnant in November 2023—one month after the devastating war in Gaza began. A moment that should’ve been filled with joy was instead filled with dread and sorrow. With health facilities being destroyed, displacement imminent, and food supplies rapidly dwindling, Ala’a knew that her baby would have to overcome so much just to be born. 

“We will survive whatever happens,” she shared in a letter she wrote to a UNFPA hospital. In the next nine months, Gaza experienced catastrophic loss. Ala’a was displaced several times, the first of which was when she was seven months pregnant.

 “I was forced to leave my home and live in a tent. I cried a lot, feeling that my brave baby would never see the walls of his room that I had always dreamed of preparing for him.”

When it was time to give birth, Ala’a would’ve been in grave danger if not for a UNFPA field hospital. She arrived in the middle of the night and was immediately treated by a team of midwives. Ala’a learned she needed an emergency C-section and was rushed into surgery. Thanks to the skilled hospital staff, her son, Mohammad, was safely delivered.

“It was the best decision to come here to give birth. From Mohammad, my son, thanks for everything. We are grateful for you. I hope that we meet again in better times,” Ala’a wrote to the hospital staff.

Amina was in labor when violence erupted in her village in Sudan. She escaped and made the excruciating journey on foot to a doctor’s house that she had heard of in a neighboring village. Her complicated labor required a C-section – but the doctor was ready to take on the challenge using only the basic equipment that he had on hand. He safely delivered Amina’s baby on the floor of his house and went on to assist twenty other women through birth that day. 

But only six hours after Amina’s C-section, with her wound still fresh, the shooting began again and Amina had to flee with her newborn. She was struggling to walk when kind strangers gave her a spot in their donkey-pulled cart. She and her baby eventually safely made it to a UNFPA maternity hospital far from the violence. 

Amina was nursed back to health and provided with a bag of hygiene supplies so she could care for herself and her baby after leaving the hospital. She is grateful for the midwives that helped her – though she never learned the fate of the doctor who delivered her baby.

When violence broke out in Haiti’s Port-au-Prince, basic necessities such as food, water, and medicines became hard to find. When Fabienne’s neighbor told her that she could access clean water from their home , she was grateful. She was collecting water alone when a group of gang members entered her neighbor’s courtyard. They held Fabienne captive and raped her.

Eventually, she was released, but she was kept under constant surveillance. After several days, Fabienne finally escaped in the middle of the night and reached a UNFPA hospital. There, she was treated for both her physical and psychological wounds so she could begin to recover from the trauma she endured.

“The advice I’d give all young girls who have suffered abuse is to find a place to vent, to see a psychologist, not to try to kill themselves as an escape.”

For over three years, Ukraine has been under fire. Hospitals and the country’s energy infrastructure have been relentlessly targeted, leaving those in Ukraine often in the dark or without access to the healthcare they need. But for pregnant women such as Oksana and Yuliya, the care of professionals like Dr. Oleksandrovych has been a lifeline. When the alarms went off, signalling yet another airstrike, everyone was rushed into the underground bomb shelters.

“Even the tiniest babies from the neonatal intensive care unit were brought down by nurses and aides, who carried them gently because they are too fragile for the mothers to move them on their own,” Oksana shared, reflecting on the traumatic moments. Then, the hospital lost power.

“We’ve had to perform emergency procedures in complete darkness, relying on flashlights from our phones until the generators kicked in. Those seconds feel like an eternity when you’re in the middle of a critical operation,” Dr. Oleksandrovych said. 

With support from UNFPA, Dr. Oleksandrovych had access to mobile incubators in the underground bunker that has been transformed into an emergency delivery room for the hospital. In another part of Ukraine, we have also created the first underground bomb-proof fully operational maternity wards, so that women can give birth safely, no matter what.

At USA for UNFPA, we believe in building partnerships that create a better world for women and girls. Our corporate and foundation partners are essential allies in raising awareness, delivering support, and driving innovative solutions so every woman and girl can reach her full potential. We’re especially grateful to partner with Organon, TC Energy, the Humaniti Foundation, Human Concern International, and the Goodman Foundation for championing the health, rights, and dignity of women and girls around the world.

One partnership we’re proud to highlight is our work with Organon—a steadfast partner to UNFPA for the past three years and counting. Together, we’re advancing a shared vision of a world where every woman’s health is prioritized across her lifetime, beginning with the ability to choose if and when to have children. With Organon, we are working to reduce unplanned pregnancies by focusing on innovation, access and education, sustainability, and financing. Through this partnership, we’ve helped more women gain the autonomy and tools they need to make informed choices about their reproductive health.