UNFPA Responds to Urgent Needs of Victims of Kyrgyzstan Fighting
UNFPA has been gearing up to meet the humanitarian needs of those who have fled their homes in Kyrgyzstan as a result of the violence engulfing the country since 11 June. UNFPA is particularly concerned about the fate of pregnant women who will deliver their babies in shelters and refugee camps.
UNFPA Assists Kenyans Displaced by Post-Election Violence
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has called on all Kenyans to stop the violence that has torn apart their nation in recent weeks, claiming over 800 lives and displacing more than a quarter of a million people. Pointing to a humanitarian crisis that is “unprecedented” in Kenya, Mr. Ban called on all political leaders to look beyond individual or partisan interests and resolve their differences peacefully.
Niger's Famine Increases Miscarriage and Premature Births
Famine or no famine, women are giving birth in Niger every day. For every million people affected by natural or civil emergencies, some 600 births per week can be expected. In times of great stress and trauma, a high number of premature births and miscarriages are likely to occur.
Emergency Health Needs for Women in Lebanon and Syria
UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, expects to spend $6.2 million to help address the urgent humanitarian concerns of displaced and otherwise war-affected populations in Lebanon and Syria over the next three months.
Darfur: Haija's Refugee Story
Haija was four months pregnant when she and her family were forced to leave their home because of fighting in the Darfur region of Sudan. After walking over 35 miles through the hot desert, Haija and her family reached the internal refugee camp at Kalma, where a women’s clinic supported by UNFPA provided the exhausted Haija with urgent prenatal care to protect her health and that of her unborn child.
Sierra Leone Women Protect Themselves Against HIV
“I was captured by the [rebel] soldiers and taken away for five months,” said Mariama, whose mother was killed during the brutal fighting. The rebels made her to do all the cooking and fetching of water. She was repeatedly raped by her captors.