Malia Tuitupou, a volunteer working at one of the “Women Friendly Spaces” established and supported by the United Nation Population Fund (UNFPA) Pacific in Tonga, still vividly remembers the aftermath of the unprecedented natural disasters, the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai volcanic eruption that occurred in the late afternoon of 15 January 2022 along with the subsequent tsunami, which combinedly changed the lives of 84,...

Majuro, THE MARSHALL ISLANDS – The Republic of Marshall Islands (RMI) Ministry of Health and Human Services (MOHHS) suddenly found itself on a high alert on 8 August 2022, when the first community transmission case of COVID-19 in the Capital city, Majuro, was recorded. Until then, RMI was one of the last nations in the world that were untouched by the Coronavirus. Within four days, the State of Emergency was decla...

TANNA, Vanuatu - “Family planning is the reason why I was able to pursue my dreams of becoming an athlete.” Lily Iawantak, 34, of Tanna Island, Vanuatu, is a professional athlete who grew up in a culture where women’s careers are rarely prioritised, compared to those of their male counterparts. “I am so blessed to have a male champion of women’s sexual and reproductive health like Kasi as my partner,” Lily said....