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For Kenyan Women, Repeal of the Global Gag Rule Means Safety and Health

By Florence Machio, RH Reality Check, Africa

March 7, 2009 - 8:00am

A word of warning to African governments: don't wait for Obama alone to provide contraceptive security for your female citizens.

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Suffering in Silence Has to Stop

By Florence Machio, RH Reality Check, Africa

March 6, 2009 - 8:00am

The lack of security for women at the time of political unrest in Kenya meant that many women could not access medical help and saw no hope in reporting crimes against them.

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Support for Family Planning Just as Important as HIV/AIDS Assistance

By Florence Machio, RH Reality Check, Africa

August 13, 2008 - 7:00am

While funding to address HIV/AIDS has skyrocketed, financial support for family planning in the developing world has dwindled.

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In Aftermath of Political Crisis, Kenya's Gender Problem Clear

By Florence Machio, RH Reality Check, Africa

April 7, 2008 - 8:43am

The ugly face of violence reared its head in Kenya after the presidential elections of December, and I now know that crisis was a window into the status of women's rights in Kenya and the gaps in responding to sexual and gender-based violence in this country.

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Marriage Is No Protection Against HIV

By Florence Machio, RH Reality Check, Africa

April 3, 2008 - 8:43am

For women in Africa, marriage is no protection against HIV. Their challenge is how to start negotiating for condom use 20 years into their marriages.

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The Tribe Called Woman

By Florence Machio, RH Reality Check, Africa

February 11, 2008 - 8:36am

Since the crisis in Kenya began, I haven't yet heard of a woman who picked up a machete and killed her neighbor. As in many conflict-ridden places in the world, women stand out as victims as well as the ones who are looking for peaceful means to resolve the situation.

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Published under: Global Perspective | Women’s Rights | Kenya | political crisis

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HIV Crisis Looms in Kenya Amid Political Crisis

By Florence Machio, RH Reality Check, Africa

February 8, 2008 - 8:42am

Efforts to curtail the spread of HIV/AIDS are about to go to waste in Kenya, if the current political crisis is not dealt with fast. Widespread sexual violence, displacement, and lack of access to providers are all contributing to the spread of the disease.

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Preparing to Vote? Remember African Women

By Florence Machio, RH Reality Check, Africa

January 25, 2008 - 8:54am

As you American readers prepare to vote for President in November, please remember the women of Africa. Never has the American debate over abortion become clearer to us in Africa than during the Bush administration.

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How Will Africa Protect the Next Generation?

By Florence Machio, RH Reality Check, Africa

January 14, 2008 - 8:50am

African governments are still taking donor funding for HIV prevention with conditions that they know do not work -- and youth are stuck with inadequate information about how to prevent themselves from the consequences of sex.