https://www.girlsglobe.org Gender equality, human rights and social justice. Mon, 05 May 2025 09:15:44 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.8.1 https://i0.wp.com/www.girlsglobe.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/girlsglobe_icon_green2-1.png?fit=32%2C32&ssl=1 https://www.girlsglobe.org 32 32 128553070 https://www.girlsglobe.org/2025/05/05/protecting-woman-centred-care-in-a-world-of-crises-why-midwives-must-be-at-the-centre/ https://www.girlsglobe.org/2025/05/05/protecting-woman-centred-care-in-a-world-of-crises-why-midwives-must-be-at-the-centre/#respond Mon, 05 May 2025 09:15:42 +0000 https://www.girlsglobe.org/?p=66531 After the initial shock of a crisis — whether caused by conflict, climate change or natural disasters — daily life continues to unfold. Yet even as communities face devastation, life goes on. Pregnancies continue, and women and gender diverse people go into labour and give birth. A moment that should be joyful and safe turns frightening and uncertain, as giving birth becomes far more dangerous and unpredictable. More than half of maternal deaths worldwide occur in fragile and crisis-affected settings, making clear just how deadly these situations can be. 

At the same time, needs rise sharply. The demand for contraception, comprehensive abortion care and treatment for sexually transmitted infections (STIs) increases, while access to these services often becomes limited or disappears entirely. Menstrual hygiene becomes harder to manage as products and safe facilities, including water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) services, become scarce. Unintended pregnancies and STIs increase due to the lack of barrier methods and heightened risk of sexual violence.]]> https://www.girlsglobe.org/2025/05/05/protecting-woman-centred-care-in-a-world-of-crises-why-midwives-must-be-at-the-centre/feed/ 0 66531 https://www.girlsglobe.org/2024/05/22/solidarity-studio-habiba-mohamed-and-bwalya-chomba-on-obstetric-fistula-and-stories-of-hope/ https://www.girlsglobe.org/2024/05/22/solidarity-studio-habiba-mohamed-and-bwalya-chomba-on-obstetric-fistula-and-stories-of-hope/#respond Wed, 22 May 2024 09:45:32 +0000 https://www.girlsglobe.org/?p=65826&preview=true&preview_id=65826 Obstetric fistula is a devastating childbirth injury. It leaves a woman incontinent, humiliated, and—all too often—shunned by her community. Surgery is the only cure.

Habiba Mohamed is the Regional Director of Programs in Africa and Bwalya Magawa Chomba is the Program Director for Zambia at Fistula Foundation. 

In the Solidarity Studio, they share stories of obstetric fistula, stories that have shifted their work to help end fistula.

Habiba and Bwalya also share an important call to action for us all to get engaged to end obstetric fistula. 

Available as a podcast and as a video with captions. ]]> https://www.girlsglobe.org/2024/05/22/solidarity-studio-habiba-mohamed-and-bwalya-chomba-on-obstetric-fistula-and-stories-of-hope/feed/ 0 65826 https://www.girlsglobe.org/2023/06/02/eva-nangalo-uganda/ https://www.girlsglobe.org/2023/06/02/eva-nangalo-uganda/#respond Fri, 02 Jun 2023 10:17:41 +0000 https://www.girlsglobe.org/?p=63776&preview=true&preview_id=63776

Eva Nangalo is a midwife working in Nakaseke General Hospital in Uganda.  In April, 2023 Eva was featured in Bill Gates's Heroes in the Field. 

In this episode, Eva shares her belief that she was born to be a midwife. As a little girl growing up in rural Uganda, Eva told her mother that she wanted to be a midwife. She talks about having a challenging relationship with her father in her early years and his taking her away from her mother. Her father insisted that she become a teacher even though that was not her dream.

Eva talks about being forced into a marriage that she did not want and then having her first child. She shares the story of fulfilling her dream of becoming a registered midwife. Eva speaks about faith and the grace of God, forgiveness and healing her heart. She shares her experience of being recognized and acknowledged internationally for her passion for midwifery and her commitment to saving the lives of mothers and babies. Eva speaks about her excitement at being featured in Bill Gates's Heroes in the Field.

She encourages us all to be bold, be strong, work hard and be proud.]]> https://www.girlsglobe.org/2023/06/02/eva-nangalo-uganda/feed/ 0 63776 https://www.girlsglobe.org/2022/12/28/why-we-must-harness-the-collective-power-of-mothers/ https://www.girlsglobe.org/2022/12/28/why-we-must-harness-the-collective-power-of-mothers/#comments Wed, 28 Dec 2022 10:59:00 +0000 https://www.girlsglobe.org/?p=62649&preview=true&preview_id=62649 Five years ago, after giving birth to my daughter, I decided to commit the rest of my life to ensuring that every woman has access to world-class maternal care. I suffered from postpartum hemorrhage—excessive bleeding due to obstetric trauma. Postpartum hemorrhage can be a life-threatening complication and is the leading cause of maternal death globally. In impoverished areas, the rate of maternal mortality and morbidity remains staggeringly high. The good news? Most maternal deaths are entirely preventable, as are disabling childbirth injuries like fistula. Your action today can change lives. Read the post Harnessing the Collective Power of Mothers, published on Girls’ Globe. Then, brighten a woman’s world by making a year-end gift to Fistula Foundation, an organization that believes that no woman should suffer a life of misery and isolation simply for trying to bring a child into the world.]]> https://www.girlsglobe.org/2022/12/28/why-we-must-harness-the-collective-power-of-mothers/feed/ 4 62649 https://www.girlsglobe.org/2022/11/24/why-do-women-still-die-giving-birth-in-nepal/ https://www.girlsglobe.org/2022/11/24/why-do-women-still-die-giving-birth-in-nepal/#respond Thu, 24 Nov 2022 10:16:30 +0000 https://www.girlsglobe.org/?p=62484 Maternal mortality is one of the leading causes of death for women of reproductive age in Nepal, most of which occur due to direct obstetric complications at the time of birth and during the postnatal period. The overwhelming majority of maternal deaths occur in rural, poverty ridden areas where healthcare services are often inadequate or inaccessible. Even in places with access to health services, there is a severe shortage of trained medical staff. Learn more about why women are still dying in Nepal and what can be done to prevent these deaths. ]]> https://www.girlsglobe.org/2022/11/24/why-do-women-still-die-giving-birth-in-nepal/feed/ 0 62484 https://www.girlsglobe.org/2022/04/21/in-the-war-in-ukraine-women-and-children-pay-the-heaviest-price/ https://www.girlsglobe.org/2022/04/21/in-the-war-in-ukraine-women-and-children-pay-the-heaviest-price/#respond Thu, 21 Apr 2022 17:49:13 +0000 https://www.girlsglobe.org/?p=62094 A few weeks ago, a harrowing image of a pregnant woman injured in the Russian bombing of a Ukrainian maternity and children’s hospital was doing rounds in the news and social media. Widely-circulated pictures showed the woman stroking her bloodied lower abdomen as rescuers carried her through the rubble on a stretcher following the airstrike on the […]]]> https://www.girlsglobe.org/2022/04/21/in-the-war-in-ukraine-women-and-children-pay-the-heaviest-price/feed/ 0 62094 https://www.girlsglobe.org/2019/11/22/postpartum-psychosis-the-silent-postpartum-disorder/ https://www.girlsglobe.org/2019/11/22/postpartum-psychosis-the-silent-postpartum-disorder/#respond Fri, 22 Nov 2019 12:09:14 +0000 https://www.girlsglobe.org/?p=50751 In August 2018, singer and songwriter Adele brought attention to postpartum psychosis when she shared a photo with her friend, Laura Dockrill, who was diagnosed with the condition. Adele wrote: “This is my best friend … She has written the most intimate, witty, heartbreaking and articulate piece about her experience of becoming a new mum and being diagnosed with postpartum psychosis. Mamas talk about how you’re feeling because in some cases it could save yours or someone else’s life.” ]]> https://www.girlsglobe.org/2019/11/22/postpartum-psychosis-the-silent-postpartum-disorder/feed/ 0 50751 https://www.girlsglobe.org/2019/02/25/mariannas-birth-story/ https://www.girlsglobe.org/2019/02/25/mariannas-birth-story/#respond Mon, 25 Feb 2019 09:14:53 +0000 https://www.girlsglobe.org/?p=47125 This is a story about feeling respected and secure, having a supportive partner and about loving your child unconditionally. ]]> https://www.girlsglobe.org/2019/02/25/mariannas-birth-story/feed/ 0 47125 https://www.girlsglobe.org/2019/01/14/the-venezuelan-babies-being-born-stateless-in-colombia/ https://www.girlsglobe.org/2019/01/14/the-venezuelan-babies-being-born-stateless-in-colombia/#respond Mon, 14 Jan 2019 15:36:05 +0000 https://www.girlsglobe.org/?p=44909 In 2016 alone, Venezuela’s infant mortality rose by 30% and maternal mortality by 65%. Back then, the situation in Venezuela wasn’t as dire as it is now. Because of the current economic crisis, women in Venezuela don’t have access to the healthcare or supplies they need to give birth safely and raise their babies. Hospitals […]]]> https://www.girlsglobe.org/2019/01/14/the-venezuelan-babies-being-born-stateless-in-colombia/feed/ 0 44909 https://www.girlsglobe.org/2018/11/30/they-deserve-better-teenage-girls-in-argentina/ https://www.girlsglobe.org/2018/11/30/they-deserve-better-teenage-girls-in-argentina/#respond Fri, 30 Nov 2018 10:43:06 +0000 https://www.girlsglobe.org/?p=44597 As multilateral organizations continue to research sexual and reproductive rights in Latin America, I’ve been learning many sad truths about my country. This year, we learned that Argentina’s teenage pregnancy rates are the highest in the Southern Cone (Brazil, Argentina, Chile, and Uruguay). It’s estimated that 109,000 teenagers and 3,000 girls under 15 years old […]]]> https://www.girlsglobe.org/2018/11/30/they-deserve-better-teenage-girls-in-argentina/feed/ 0 44597