'2008 marks 15 years since the female condom was invented, and, disgracefully, 15 years of failing to make them accessible to the women who need them. Despite the absence of any other female-initated form of protection, and unprecedented rises in funding for the response to HIV, female condoms remain inaccessible, and their contribution remains untapped.

The urgent need for access to female condoms is evident in the feminisation of the HIV pandemic, the large unmet need for contraception more...

'The plight of women in Iraq today has gone largely ignored, both within Iraqi society and by the international community. For more than five years, headlines have been dominated by political and social turmoil, the chaos of conflict and widespread violence. This has overshadowed the abysmal state of the civilian population’s day-to-day lives, a result of that very turmoil and violence.

Behind the headlines, essential services have collapsed, families have been torn apart and women in parti more...

'This report gathers people’s observations of climate change in Malawi and what it means for their lives and livelihoods. They describe rising temperatures, longer drier seasons and more intense and concentrated rainfall. The report shows how climate change interacts with poverty and environmental pressures to create a spiral into vulnerability. Women in particular suffer, having to spend even more time growing food and gathering increasingly scarce water and wood. Furthermore, anything that w more...

'This case study describes a two-year pilot project to engage local churches in reflecting on gender issues in Zimbabwe and Burkina Faso. The programme worked with local faith-based organisations and took a 'whole-life' approach, discussing gender inequality and HIV within the wider context of relationships, life skills and Christian life. A variety of interventions were used, including workshops for couples to develop relationship and parenting skills, and training sessions to discuss issues wi more...

The State of the World's Children 2009 examines critical issues in maternal and neonatal health. It explains why support for the rights of women and children is a prerequisite for improving maternal and newborn health, emphasizes the need to establish effective continua of care and outlines ways to strengthen health systems.

The extent of undernutrition in India is widespread but the exact magnitude
both
in absolute terms and in international comparison
varies considerably depending on
which indicator is consulted. The first aim of this article is to contrast the nutritional
situation in India to other parts of the world, based on two main methods for
characterising undernutrition. A further objective is to investigate to what extent
undernutrition in India has declined over time and how the inter-state differ more...

In spite of the enshrining anti-poverty programs and objectives of the poverty eradication programs contained in India’s five year plans, women’s poverty in India, even after 58 years of independence, is glaring. This paper, based on a field survey, addresses the issues of economic constraints and the denial of women’s access to productive assets in the form of land ownership and human capital such as education, skill-training. The article contributes to the overall picture of female pover more...

An article on the Guardian Katine website about an innovative solution to the lack of transporation to take women in labour to the nearest hospital. The eRanger is being used in Malawi and costs less than cars to buy and maintain. Could this be a cost-effective life saving solution?

This book is designed to assist women in caring for their own health, and to help community health workers or others meet women's health needs. It remains highly relevant and includes valuable and vital information that will be useful for those with no formal training in health care skills and for those who do have some training. It provides comprehensive chapters on sexual and reproductive health, nutrition for women, family planning and women with disabilities.

'This policy brief from VSO highlights the crisis in delivering equitable health care for people living with HIV and AIDS, and the overwhelming burden it places on women and girls. It identifies changes that VSO is advocating for and provides recommendations to key stakeholders for policy and programme change. The document argues that the caregiver has a right to be valued, supported and receive appropriate compensation and the patient has a right to care of a high quality. Community caregivers more...