Nigeria – How MSI’s Family Planning Model Is Saving Lives, Lifting Women Out of Poverty

By Usman Bello
Sun, 26 Jul 2026

Ebonyi State has long ranked among Nigeria’s highest in maternal mortality and teenage pregnancy. But that reality is gradually shifting. A targeted family planning intervention by MSI Nigeria, implemented in partnership with the Ebonyi State Government through the State Primary Healthcare Development Agency, is beginning to rewrite the story across rural communities.

Daily Trust, which joined a Solutions Journalism field trip to Enugu and Ebonyi States organised by MSI Nigeria and Nigeria Health Watch, reports on how the programme is improving women’s health, enhancing earnings, stabilising families, and reducing preventable deaths.

Continued: https://dailytrust.com/how-msis-family-planning-model-is-saving-lives-lifting-women-out-of-poverty/

Malawi – When childhood ends at 10

Dumase Zgambo-Mapemba, Malawi News
18 Jul 2026

The image is hard to shake off: a 10-year-old child carrying a pregnancy instead of a school bag. Yet this is no longer an isolated tragedy.

It is becoming a disturbing reality in parts of Malawi, particularly in Mchinji and Kasungu, where rising rates of teenage pregnancy are exposing deep failures in child protection, education, and sexual and reproductive health services.

According to the Malawi News Agency, Mchinji District alone recorded 4,155 pregnancies among girls ages 10–19 from January to March 2026, including some as young as 10.

Continued: https://www.pressreader.com/malawi/malawi-news/20260718/281835765467040

18.07.2026

Too young to be mothers: Inside Kenya’s teenage pregnancy crisis

By Mercy Kahenda
12 July 2026

Ruth*, 17, still remembers the fear and uncertainty that gripped her when she discovered she was six weeks pregnant.

The teenager, who lives in Majengo slums, became pregnant after having unprotected sex with a boda boda rider who also earns a living unblocking drainage systems in the neighbourhood. Faced with the possibility of dropping out of school and an uncertain future, she briefly considered terminating the pregnancy.

Her friends, however, warned her about the dangers of unsafe abortion, including severe bleeding, infection and even death. After much reflection, she decided to carry the pregnancy to term.

Continued: https://www.standardmedia.co.ke/health/amp/health-science/article/2001552616/too-young-to-be-mothers-inside-kenyas-teenage-pregnancy-crisis

12.07.2026

Commentary

Betty Adera Foundation

Diana Adeya

Douglas Bosire

Enkare Oltau Volunteers Foundation

National Syndemic Diseases Control Council

AD1087: Ghanaians support women’s autonomy but are divided on abortion and contraceptives

Most citizens back sex education and letting pregnant girls stay in school.

Maame Akua Amoah Twum
2 Dec 2025

Sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) remain a critical challenge in Ghana, particularly with regard to teenage pregnancy and access to contraception. Between 2016 and 2020, Ghana recorded 13,444 pregnancies among girls aged 10-14 and 542,131 pregnancies among adolescents aged 15-19 (UNFPA-Ghana, 2022). Teenage pregnancy rates are about twice as high in rural areas as in cities (Mohammed, 2023). Poverty, limited education, and stigma surrounding SRHR continue to restrict access to essential services (Amoadu et al., 2022).

One profound consequence of teenage pregnancy is educational disruption. A study in a suburb of Accra (Chorkor) showed that more than 80% of pregnant schoolgirls drop out permanently (Gyan, 2013), and participants in re-entry programmes often face stigma, a lack of support, and economic hardship.

Continued: https://www.afrobarometer.org/publication/ad1087-ghanaians-support-womens-autonomy-but-are-divided-on-abortion-and-contraceptives/

02.12.2025

Research

public support for abortion

sexual and reproductive health and rights

What to do if your teenage daughter tells you she is pregnant

18th October 2025
by Godfrey George

Hearing the news that a daughter one has raised is now pregnant outside of wedlock is like being pushed underwater.

Your heart flutters, your thoughts scatter, and the room tilts. For many Nigerian parents, that first rush is followed by a harder, lonelier silence: What now? How do I protect my child, keep her safe, and salvage her future?

Teenage pregnancy in Nigeria is not a single problem. It sits at the intersection of poverty, education, culture, health systems, and gendered power. The good news is that a calm, deliberate parental response can change the arc of a young girl’s life.

Continued: https://punchng.com/what-to-do-if-your-teenage-daughter-tells-you-she-is-pregnant/

18.10.2025

India – Rajasthan HC expresses concern over delays in abortion process for rape victims

The court has indicated its intention to establish guidelines for handling abortion cases involving rape survivors.

Rajesh Asnani
13 Jan 2025

JAIPUR: The Rajasthan High Court has expressed grave concern over delays in the abortion process for rape victims, particularly minors, highlighting the lack of awareness and timely information.

The court noted that such delays often put teenage victims at significant risk during childbirth. To address this issue, the court has indicated its intention to establish guidelines for handling abortion cases involving rape survivors. The court has also sought responses from both the Central and State Governments within four weeks.

Continued: https://www.newindianexpress.com/nation/2025/Jan/13/rajasthan-hc-expresses-concern-over-delays-in-abortion-process-for-rape-victims

13.01.2025

News

abortion and rape

Justice M.M. Shrivastava

Justice Umashankar Vyas

Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act

Nigeria – We’re losing our daughters – Akwa Ibom communities lament inadequate FP commodities

December 20, 2024
By Lovina Anthony

The shortfall in the availability of Family Planning commodities and consumables across the primary health facilities in Akwa Ibom State, especially those at the rural communities, has heightened the health risks of women and girls at reproductive age.

A visit by our correspondent to some local government areas in the state revealed an increase in maternal mortality rate, teenage unwanted pregnancies and unsafe abortion with the attendant poverty rate in those communities.

Continued: https://dailypost.ng/2024/12/20/were-losing-our-daughters-akwa-ibom-communities-lament-inadequate-fp-commodities/

Childhood cut short: Three stories of adolescent pregnancy from Paraguay

28 November 2023
UNFPA

ASUNCIÓN, Paraguay – No one seemed to mind when Noelia* got a boyfriend. Nobody in her family said a word, even though her boyfriend was 18 years old and she was just 13.

When Noelia went to see the cardiologist who had cared for her since birth through the public health service, the doctor explained the risk of pregnancy to her, but not how to prevent it. Although her mother accompanied her to medical appointments and knew about her daughter’s relationship, she did not express any concerns. Nor did anyone at school explain sexual abuse or birth control methods to her.

Soon, Noelia stopped going to school. Then she stopped going to the health service. She was pregnant.

Continued: https://www.unfpa.org/news/childhood-cut-short-three-stories-adolescent-pregnancy-paraguay

28.11.2023

Commentary

adolescent pregnancy

Dr. Natalia Kanem

International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women

Kenya – Surviving incest, abortions: Kakamega’s struggle to protect girls

Tuesday, October 31, 2023

By Shaban Makokha

In the tranquil heart of Navakholo, Kakamega, a grim narrative unfolds – once shadowed by the specters of incest, teenage pregnancies, and the haunting tales of unsafe abortion.

Young girls find themselves entangled in pregnancies thrust upon them by older men, some of whom are guardians and relatives.

Continued: https://nation.africa/kenya/news/gender/surviving-incest-abortions-kakamega-s-struggle-to-protect-girls-4418232

How the Supreme Court’s Abortion Decision Left Many Youth Behind

BY ALEX BERG
DECEMBER 20, 2022

After having an abortion two years ago, B (whose name is withheld for privacy) didn’t think much about her experience with the procedure. As a 17 year-old at the time with a couple of months to go before her high school graduation, she “put it out of sight.” That was until June 24, 2022, the day the Supreme Court issued a decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization that eliminated the constitutional right to abortion in the United States.

“It really snapped me back into reality from it,” B, now 19, tells Teen Vogue.

Continued: https://www.teenvogue.com/story/how-the-supreme-courts-abortion-decision-left-many-youth-behind