In Paraguay, where nearly 8 out of 10 women have experienced some form of gender-based violence in their lives, young female scientists, athletes, musicians and others are working to fight that fate, joining an anti-violence campaign spearheaded by UNFPA, the UN’s sexual and reproductive health agency. The initiative – ¡Quiero vivir así! Sin Violencia – uses social networks, music concerts and community activities like mural painting to raise awareness of the right to live in a world free of violence. It has garnered support from public and private sector partners, civil society organizations and sports institutions, building momentum ever since its launch in 2022. Here, young women involved with the initiative, including Jennifer - a karate champion and teacher - share their experiences and wisdom on how dreams can be achieved when girls lift each other up – and can live their lives without violence.
UNFPA
Throughout 2025, the world read about the record number of conflicts and climate crises tearing apart countries and communities. We heard how steep cuts to humanitarian funding are spelling disaster for millions of people. We watched as AI expanded and digital violence against women and girls took a dangerous new turn. But we also saw ordinary people stepping up and doing extraordinary things: From the midwives delivering babies safely as war ravages Gaza to the teenagers helping each other navigate a path away from adolescent pregnancy in the Philippines, so many individuals showed courage, resilience and a refusal to give up in the face of immense odds. Girls at a safe space in eastern Zambia perform a role-play scenario about peer pressure.
Angela Bassett, award winning actress, highlights that for mothers and newborns in crises, a $5 UNFPA Emergency Birth Kit can mean the difference between life and death.
Amid relentless attacks and rising stress, maternity hospitals across Ukraine are forced to deliver babies in underground shelters as premature births and maternal risks sharply increase.
A new UN report shows gender-based violence remains rampant and increasingly technology-driven, with adolescent girls disproportionately harmed as laws, policies and protections lag behind rapidly evolving online threats.
The animated film highlights how technology can empower women and girls with disabilities while also being misused to perpetrate gender-based violence. It urges collective, intersectional action to ensure safe, inclusive digital spaces for all.
Helena collects water from a borehole in Giraul village in Angola, where the river has stopped flowing. Women are desperate to collect water for their families amid prolonged drought, but cholera outbreaks have been reported in the area due to contaminated water. Clean water is essential during childbirth – without it, the risk of infection increases. Birthing equipment must be properly cleaned, and new mothers need safe water for bathing. Maria, a traditional midwife in Giraul, who provides a lifeline for women who can’t make the journey to a hospital, asks women to collect water before they go into labour. UNFPA is training midwives to help women deliver safely, as well as delivering youth programmes that help pregnant adolescents get the care and support they need and stay in school. UNICEF and the World Food Programme are working with the Government of Angola to manage drought and provide water and food support to the region.
With a global shortage of 900,000 midwives, training the next generation of these crucial health workers, to avoid preventable deaths and ensure safe births, is a priority for UNFPA, the United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency. The training school in Abidjan is one of eight schools UNFPA supports in the country. Models of pregnant women and babies are used to simulate childbirth, including emergency deliveries, in a safe, realistic and risk-free environment – because in real life, there is no test run. In Côte d’Ivoire, many women give birth without the assistance of a skilled health professional. With the support of UNFPA, the National Institute for the Training of Health Workers is working to change this, and also tackling the country’s high rates of maternal mortality and adolescent pregnancy and low contraceptive prevalence.
Get the facts from UNFPA to debunk common myths and consult the new FAQ on Contraception to find out more.
Hager Zakaaraya is more than a midwife. For years she has opened her doors to women in her community as an advocate, mentor and friend. She has been working as a midwife since 1997, first at clinics and hospitals in Gedaref state in eastern Sudan and now from her home, which she has converted into a clinic, in the northeastern city of Hai Sawakin. Women line up to see her, thanks to her reputation for skilled care and camaraderie. UNFPA, the United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency, supports her work, providing medicines and supplies, such as fetal heart monitors, that are essential to saving the lives of women and their newborns. Hager’s home has always been busy, filled with her own children as well as with women and their children who need her help at any given time, such as those displaced by conflict. The kids play together while the women cook, chat and build friendships and support systems through the most challenging of times.
As hospitals lie in ruins and hunger spreads in Gaza, UNFPA’s mobile clinic offers critical maternal care to women giving birth in unimaginable conditions.
Amid Sudan’s war, this remarkable midwife, Hager, provides critical care and emotional support, holding her community together through crisis.
Should women have more children? Let's explore with Shudufhadzo Musida, United Nations Population Agency Global Champion for Women and Girls.
In rural southern Hebron, a UNFPA-supported mobile safe space brings essential health, protection, and psychosocial services to isolated women who face severe barriers to care, and safety amidst the deepening crisis in the West Bank.