Hajjah, Yemen – In mid-May, just as the COVID-19 pandemic arrived in Yemen, funding for UNFPA’s life-saving reproductive health services dried up. UNFPA has been forced to suspend the provision of reproductive health care in 140 out of 180 health facilities. Now only 40 health facilities across the country are providing these services. There have already been tragic consequences. Mariam, a war widow with four daught...

This article is a joint collaboration between UNFPA and UNICEF, lead agencies in the effort to ensure the health and rights of all people who menstruate. See a version of this article on UNICEF' s website UNITED NATIONS, New York --  Menstruation is misunderstood and stigmatized around the world, a fact likely to worsen under the COVID-19 pandemic. Below are nine things you need to know about periods and the pa...

Marwa* is 22 years old, and lives in Al Hudaydah, Yemen. At the age of 17, which makes her a child bride, Marwa got married, and soon after the wedding, she became an expectant mother. “I was almost 17 years old, and happy with my new life. I was a new bride and I got pregnant fast. I thought life was smiling at me.” After a prolonged and obstructed labour, Marwa gave birth to a baby boy at home. A few weeks after...