People from the most vulnerable groups, including those from the Roma and Egyptian communities, face difficulties accessing health care in Albania, and improvements have been slow for the most marginalized. With UNFPA support, health mediators are working to increase access to health care services, including sexual and reproductive health services, for those left behind.

People living with HIV in Georgia often face difficulties accessing health care and other services because of widespread misconceptions and stigma. UNFPA is working to increase awareness and understanding, especially among young people, so that people with HIV can live free from discrimination and everyone feels safe seeking out information, testing and treatment.

"I always dreamed of having my own family,” said Sashka Smilkova. “But the family didn’t think I could get pregnant because of my disability. They even thought I might die giving birth." Ms. Smilkova, 35, from Kratovo, a small town in eastern North Macedonia, is deaf and has a severe spinal deformity. In 2019, she found out she was pregnant. "When I found out I was pregnant, everyone in the family to...