Feature Stories Sister Kumari Pawa of Rautahat: By Sarita Subba, Anna Adhikari and Keshab Bhurtel Rautahat, June 2009 She may be shy and unassuming, but Kumari Pawa is well known to the women of Rautahat district. She is an Auxiliary Nurse Midwife (ANM) at Sampur Health Post. Thirty-five year old Jarina, from Akolowa village, is one of many women who smile when they hear her name spoken. As the district purveyor of Copper-T, a long-acting contraceptive device, Kumari Pawa is a name that district women now associate with increased choice. One Girl's Dream: By Sujata Subba Mahottari, May 2009 "I wish all parents understood that education is the ultimate gift they can give their children, no matter which school they may be able to afford," says Alam Ansari, a father of six. He lives in Kolhuwabagiya, located in Mahottari district. Reborn at sixty: By Bishnu Kumari BK Kapilavstu, March 2009 Dhana Kala Rokka Magar from Shivgadhi village in Kapilvastu district , now 60, was pregnant seven times. She was considered quite lucky as the first among her children was a boy but the following birth of daughter was a disappointment. Challenges and Opportunities of Transition in Nepal: UNFPA and UNDP Executive Board Members Visit to Nepal Eight members of the joint Executive Board of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) visited Nepal from 18-25 April. The participating delegates were from the Republic of Angola, the Republic of Azerbaijan, Mexico, the Republic of Korea, Russian Federation, Sweden, the Republic of Haiti and the United Republic of Tanzania. Bishnu Bhandari: Working as a Female Social Facilitator in villages of Kapilvastu GoN/UNFPA Community Based Programme in Kapilvastu District Kapilvastu, November 2008 — Manpur was the first Village Development Committee (VDC) I visited after I had been trained as a Female Social Facilitator in the Community Based Programme implemented by the District Development Committee (DDC) with the support of UNFPA (United Nations Population Fund). People we work with - Sakina GoN/UNFPA Community Based Programme in Kapilbastu District Kapilbastu, December 2008 — Sakina has three sons and four daughters. Like her own mother and her mother's mother before, she had never planned the number of her children neither had she ever given a thought about when to have them. She never knew that she could do so. The Pain of Fallen Womb Kapilbastu, November 2008 — The uterus in its normal size is not bigger than a match box. Its muscles stretch during pregnancy to accommodate a baby. In what condition would a womb that went through this process sixteen times be? Domestic Violence Against Women Rampant 12 December 2008 — Rather than confront her husband or act on the million emotions that would surge through her when she suffered at his hands, she kept silent. Married off in her late twenties, Sujata Rai, 39 year-old mother of three, held her silence out of fear of being labeled as arrogant. Food Distribution and Health Camp in Jumla Dr E. Knox told his colleagues in Kathmandu that he'd just visited hell and was "glad to be back!" It was overstatement, of course, but that's how the doctor felt after making a reconnaissance trip to Jumla, in Nepal's far northwest in the early 1960's. Life Stories from Bajhang UNFPA project funded by the European Commission's Humanitarian Aid department Delivering Emergency Reproductive Health Services to Conflict-Affected Populations of Nepal Back to School Dang, June 2008 — Sita, now 14, is one of the five daughters of Chetnath Pariyar and Kamala Devi Pariyar from the Dalit community. Sita also has two brothers. Her family lives in a remote and hilly village of Dang Purungchheda, Kavre Village Development Committee (VDC). Her parents work as tailors. Talking to the Doctors in Cantonments Kathmandu, May 2008 — When the peace agreement was signed in Nepal in 2006, it was decided that the cantonments would be established to provide a temporarily shelter for People's Liberation Army (Maoist combatants) before permanent solution was agreed upon. Recognizing Midwives Banke, April 2008 — It was a mere coincidence. While traveling for a different purpose I had the chance to talk on the same day to an unskilled birth attendant and three auxiliary nurses midwifes from a Primary Health Center. Community Volunteerism Saves Women's Lives in Nepal Dang, 15 February 2008 — Majority of the health problems prevailing in Nepal particularly in the rural areas are related to the health of women and children. High maternal mortality, high infant and child mortality, low coverage of maternal and child health services are some examples that indicate the poor health status of women and children. Act of Kindness Banke, 29 April, 2008 — Her figure was so tiny, one could lift her easily. Lost in the green surgical cloths Ms. Sukanya Choudhary was sitting on the operation table ready to get her spinal anaesthetics. She was as composed as only a Nepalese person can be used to not displaying the likes and dislikes on her face. Treating pain and shame From Nepali Times Issue #390 (07 March 08 - 13 March 08) — Hira Thapa, 66, suffered a uterine prolapse 15 years ago. Mother of 10 children, she gave birth to them at home in Rilu village. From hopeless plight to recovery: One woman's story in far-west Nepal 8 May 2007 — When I entered the surgery room, I saw a corpse on the operation table and felt death in the room. Lying on the table was a skinny naked body with a big belly and disturbingly yellowish-green skin. The medical team around Durga moved more quietly than usual. I could feel the weight on the surgeons' shoulders, as each movement they took had purposeful precision. Nepal Ceasefire Allows Mobile Team to Care for Women's Health 05 April 2007 — SAFEBAGAR, Accham District, Nepal-"May you live 100 years! You have given me my life back," a beaming Guma Badela told the doctor and nurse examining her. She had come to a mobile health clinic for a post-surgery check-up and to express thanks. Adolescent Reproductive Health Workshop Dang, 24 January 2007 — Working with rural communities, UNFPA staff has found that many health workers do not know the reproductive health needs of young people. Indeed, many young people do not know their own needs, and are shy to talk to local health care professionals. Small Resources, Significant Impact Saptari, 18 July 2006 — Sometimes even with limited resources it is possible to positively impact the lives of many. In the eastern region of Nepal, in the district of Saptari operates a well-frequented health facility, the Chhinnamasta Health Post. With a staff of seven, of which four are health workers, the four-room post has become an appreciated establishment able to cater for primary health care needs encompassing maternal and child health care. Small Steps to Empowerment Mahottari, 18 July 2006 — Arriving in Mahottari district, it was just as hot and humid as I had been promised. Mahottari is a district in the central region of Nepal, bordering India in the south. Close to 150 000 women in the district, about one fourth of the district's population, are in their reproductive age. However, less than 5% of their babies are delivered at health institutions. Bhagirathi Shahi, 55 years old Dadeldhura, 11 July 2006 — We met Bhagirathi Shahi during our field visit in Manilekh in June 2006. A tiny woman, her face and hands all wrinkled from sun and hard life. As soon as she saw our car, she came running to see us and thank us for our help. She had gone through surgery for uterus prolapse in December 2005 through one of UNFPA reproductive health camps. Since then, her life has changed and she has been thinking a lot of what happened to her for these last 35 years.