Rahama looked through the window, amid a raging armed conflict in the Sudanese capital of Khartoum, and all she saw was smoke and guns firing in from every direction. She feared for her family and her unborn third child. Going back home to Ethiopia offered better survival chances for the entire family. She had a successful delivery soon after arriving in Metema facilitated by and its partners. IOM’s have provided life-saving services including health screening, protection services and provision of water and sanitation facilities to families escaping the conflict in Sudan.
Health Interventions
's presents Jonathan's Miracle Feet through The Health for All Film Festival which is an initiative to connect people joining the movement for health promotion through films.
The devastating Türkiye earthquake left pregnant women and new mothers in crisis. has been on the ground from day one, coordinating with partners to reestablish sexual and reproductive health and protection services in Syria and Türkiye.
is providing vital maternal health care to ensure women give birth safely as maternity hospitals in Syria are under immense strain after the recent earthquakes.
For the women and girls who are living amid the Horn of Africa crisis, there are increased risks. Cases of child and forced marriage, female genital mutilation, rape, and other forms of violence have all risen sharply. provides medical personnel and supports a range of mobile services and initiatives to reach people, such as this motorcycle ambulance, driven by Mark, who transports women to deliver safely. With increased support from the international community, UNFPA can do more for women to protect them from violence and provide access to medical interventions.
Health systems and communities are falling short in ending obstetric fistula. Gender discrimination and social marginalization create additional risks, resulting in fistula disproportionately occurring among impoverished, underserved and marginalized women and girls. leads the global Campaign to End Fistula, a drive to transform the lives of vulnerable women and girls. The 20-year-old campaign represents a global commitment to fistula prevention and holistic treatment, including surgical repair and social reintegration and rehabilitation.
Every year, millions of children die from causes that are preventable and treatable. Every year, millions of children die from causes that are preventable and treatable. Service disruptions, economic chaos, conflict, and overburdened health systems have threatened a devastating rise in preventable child deaths. Protected from disease, these children have the opportunity to thrive, the chance to learn and the ability to live healthy lives. ’s mission is to reach every single child with life-saving vaccines.
Ours is a world of hope and possibility, a world where the human family is larger than ever before. 8 Billion strong. highlights why it's making a case for reproductive rights and choices.
Katia’s son Myron was born under two lamps powered by a generator provided by . Ukraine unstable situation presents an anxious moment for pregnant women. Constant blackouts means hospitals are not equipped to handle emergency conditions for mothers in labor. UNICEF and partners are working to expand programmes to save the lives of children and their families in Ukraine. In addition to items, such as clothing, boots, and blankets, they are providing about 300 generators to children's hospitals, maternity hospitals and other medical facilities.
Smallpox was one of the most devastating diseases known to humanity and caused millions of deaths before it was eradicated. It is believed to have existed for at least 3000 years. The first successful vaccine was developed in 1796. In 1967, widespread immunization and surveillance were conducted around the world for several years. In 1980 declared smallpox eradicated.
Millions of children are experiencing a surge of preventable diseases because of prolonged drought and conflict in Somalia. Women and children make up more than 80 per cent of the displaced people in Somalia, and they are most affected. by the limited access to and unavailability of water, sanitation and hygiene services and increased risk of waterborne diseases. But only 27 per cent of Somalia’s population have access to essential health care. and its humanitarian partners are noting that the number of IDPs continues to increase due to ongoing conflict, drought-induced displacement and water shortages.
Dr Youssouf, leads the ’s mobile health patrols in the Djibouti dessert looking for abandoned, stranded or otherwise vulnerable migrants to provide life-saving assistance. These mobile units carry medical supplies, food, water and other essential items. According to IOM data, the number of women and girls travelling along the Eastern Route – from the Horn of Africa (Ethiopia, Somalia, Djibouti) to Yemen – nearly doubled between 2021 and 2022, from 53,200 to 106,700. In Djibouti, the percentage of women and girls on the move rose from 13 per cent in 2021 to 22 per cent in 2022. Since the beginning of the patrols in 2020, IOM has aided more than 18,000 migrants.
In Kenya, midwifery educator Duncan Shikuku is leading the charge not just to safeguard maternal lives, but also to ensure women are given respectful, compassionate care: “Midwives are the bridge between pregnancy and life in the outside world. What could be more important?"
Race against time
Rescuers work into the night, racing against time, hoping to find survivors amid the overwhelming devastation caused by the Türkiye- Syria earthquake. Thousands of buildings, including maternity facilities and safe spaces for women and girls, have been severely damaged or destroyed. is committed to support the people of Türkiye and Syria affected by the earthquakes, including the pregnant women who are expected to give birth in the coming weeks under these difficult conditions. Women working with the are providing postnatal counseling and delivering maternal kits to pregnant women and new mothers.
The report "Bracing for Superbugs" provides evidence that the environment plays a key role in the development, transmission and spread of .