As more and more women, girls, men and boys learn about FGM and its harm, opposition to the practice is growing. In the last two decades, the proportion of girls and women in high-prevalence countries who want the practice to stop has doubled.
Somalia-born Ifrah Ahmed campaigns to end female genital mutilation. Here she describes her fight to end this injustice against women and girls.
Around the world, girls are subjected to child marriage, female genital mutilation and son preference. They are denied their equality and their humanity. We have the tools to end these harmful practices. We have seen solutions that work. What we need now are the investments. And the will.
On the 23rd of May the world commemorated the international day to end Obstetric Fistula. UNFPA Kenya marked the day in Narok County Referral Hospital with Fistula Survivors.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared 2020 “International Year of the Nurse and Midwife.” As the world grapples with the grave challenge being posed by the coronavirus that is sweeping the world, women continue to get pregnant, and babies are still being born. Midwives as the primary caregivers are working tirelessly in communities, health centers, hospital wards and in women’s homes under difficult circumstances, often risking their own lives and well-being. But if midwives are ill and dying in a health system overstretched by Covid-19 they will not be available to care for pregnant women and their families. Childbirth is a normal part of life and it does not stop because of a pandemic.
On the 6th of February 2019 UNFPA KCO and the Boda Boda Association of Kenya (BAK) formed a partnership to create potential synergy in the delivery of Sexual Reproductive Health rights. The Boda Boda sector plays host to millions of young people in the country, having secured gainful employment for the otherwise unemployed youth and helped address one of the critical pillars of the demographic dividends. As appertains the fight against FGM, the sector not only provides the greatest direct reach to young people but equally opens up opportunities to reach out to millions of other young people as well as adults with messaging on FGM. They have more often than not christened themselves as being “moving bill boards” in view of their ability to pass messages through the reflector jackets that they don. It also provides avenues to address other closely related issues such as teenage pregnancy, HIV and AIDS, child marriages, safe motherhood, and family planning. Similarly, it provides an opportunity to strengthen surveillance on new incidences of FGM by providing relevant intelligence which is critical for response
Caroline Murgor, National Coordinator (FGM), UNFPA: Our program integrates advocacy, protection & response mechanisms to ensure violence against women & girls is prevented. We are working towards technical support to mainstream GBV in all aspects of Covid-19 response
The Covid-19 Pandemic Which Continues To Ravage The Globe Has Not Only Killed People, Spreading Human Suffering, But Also Rewoven The Social Crisis In That We Can No Longer Shake Hands And The Age Old Idiom Together We Stand No Longer Stands As Thanks To Social Distancing, Divided We Stand. Much As It Is A Health Crisis, This Pandemic Is Slowly But Surely Turning Out To Be A Human, Economic And Social Crisis.
NEW YORK, United States - UNFPA’s ninth Kenya Country Programme 2018-2023 was approved by the Executive Board on June 5, 2018, following a compelling statement outlining the Fund’s key achievements in the country to date.
Dr. Julitta Onabanjo, UNFPA Regional Director for East and Southern Africa, described UNFPA’s notable achievements in Kenya while highlighting the strategy and planned results of the ninth country programme. A video was displayed featuring the Fund’s impact and features of the ninth country programme in “achieving Kenya’s transformative results” for women and girls, and adolescents and youth.
Dr. Josephine Kibaru-Mbae, the Director General of National Council for Population and Development gave a compelling presentation of support, noting that the Government of Kenya and all stakeholders have recognized UNFPA’s contribution to the Kenya success story in enhancing reproductive rights for all.
Dr. Kibaru further praised the ninth Country Programme, adding that it responded to national priorities as articulated in the third Medium-term Plan, 2018-2022, of the long-term development blueprint of Kenya, Vision 2030, while significantly contributing to and aligns with the United Nations Development Assistance Framework, 2018-2022.
Correspondingly, the ninth country programme is aligned with the UNFPA Strategic Plan, 2018-2021, and is grounded in the principles of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD), and aims to contribute to the achievement of the Global Goals of the 2030 agenda for Sustainable Development and the African Union agenda 2063. UNFPA’s high-level commitment is to accelerate its contribution to ending 12,690 preventable maternal deaths in Kenya by 2022, said Dr. Ademola Olajide, UNFPA Representative for Kenya.
The Government of Kenya and UNFPA was featured at the World Economic Forum in Davos as part of the project 'Health Systems Leapfrogging in Emerging Economies'. Watch the video here
