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A place of hope: mentoring girls in Kibera informal settlement through the COVID-19 lockdown
NAIROBI, Kenya—“I slept in the toilet for three days because my mother chased me out of the house,” says Julie Atieno*, 13. As she describes her ordeal under the COVID-19 lockdown to a mentor, she... Read more
Embracing the hopes and dreams of millions of girls for a gender-equal world
Opinion editorial by Dr. Julitta Onabanjo on the International Day of the Girl Child The story of 12-year-old Amanda in Zambia, who has large dreams, is the story of millions of girls across Africa... Read more
Let’s listen to girls and uphold their rights
Statement by UNFPA Executive Director Dr. Natalia Kanem On the International Day of the Girl 11 October 2020 It is every girl’s right to speak and to be heard. Today, on the International Day of... Read more
Born with HIV: A teenager coming to terms with her status in a time of COVID-19
OLUPANDU, Namibia—While the world is battling the COVID-19 pandemic, Secilia Jacob*, 18, is fighting her own battle with a different virus. She is learning to come to terms with her HIV status. Ms.... Read more
Uganda's male action mentors are addressing violence, one community at a time
BYISINGOMA, Uganda—“I used to see my wife as someone with a ‘big head’, so we would always fight over small issues and we never had peace at home,” says Julius Tumwesigye, a farmer and father of two... Read more
Call out perpetrators of GBV to end violence against women and girls
JOHANNESBURG, South Africa—“It is not true that men do not know who among their circle of friends is a rapist. Men sometimes sit in bars and discuss how they can have sex with a girl without her... Read more
New High-Level Commission will ensure promises made at Nairobi Summit are kept as COVID-19 pandemic threatens to turn back the clock for women’s health and rights
NEW YORK—A new High-Level Commission of advocates, experts and activists was established today to help commitments to women’s health and rights made at the November 2019 Nairobi Summit on ICPD25 stay... Read more
Youth and COVID-19 Diaries: New hobbies have helped me view the lockdown positively
Zimbabwe: 24-year-old Sharon Stella Musonza Date of Diary: 27 August 2020 The first three months were hard for me as I had no idea how to navigate my way through a life of being alone. The situation... Read more
Youth and COVID-19 Diaries: Young people are too impatient to stay in lines all day
Gaborone, Botswana: 23-year-old Trevor Oahile’s lockdown diary Life under lockdown is very challenging, as we are all trying to adapt to new ways of doing things. As a university student, the... Read more
We shouldn’t be made to feel ashamed of menstruation, a normal and essential process
SELOKOLELA, Botswana—Kenathata Moisakamo was too ashamed to tell her parents that she had started menstruating because of her peers’ stories that periods indicate when a girl becomes sexually active... Read more