KATHMANDU, 12 January 2015- UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, provided reproductive health and dignity kits worth approximately Rs 15 million to women of reproductive age, including pregnant and lactating women who were affected by floods in four districts of mid-Western Nepal.
This support is in response to a request made by the Government of Nepal following the floods and landslides in August this year that, among 23 districts, affected Dang, Banke, Bardiya and Surkhet the most. The process to distribute the kits that started four months ago ended today (Jan 12, 2015) with the last remaining set of dignity kits' handover.
The reproductive health kits comprise medicines, instruments and other commodities meant to support clean delivery, rape treatment, contraceptive use, STI treatment, and management of miscarriage, suture of tears (vaginal and cervical) and vaginal examination. Each reproductive health kit is designed to provide reproductive health services to around 40,000 women affected by the floods and landslides for a three-month period.
UNFPA also procured 4,125 dignity kits which included warm clothes, sanitary napkins, washing soaps, bags and flash lights. These were meant to help restore the dignity of most marginalized women, facilitating their access to health services, help face the cold weather and serve as entry point for protection. While the reproductive health kits were distributed in the four districts by Epidemiology and Disease Control Division and Nepal Red Cross Society (NRCS), the dignity kits were by Department of Women and Children, District Women and Children Offices and NRCS district chapters.
Commenting on the handover, Bijaya Kumari Prasain, Focal Person for National Protection Cluster at Department of Women and Children (DWC), said that flood affected women in the four districts were in need of humanitarian assistance and their various needs including hygiene were not being addressed. "Thus those dignity kits were useful for the affected women, including pregnant and lactating women," said Ms. Prasai, who is also Director at DWC.
Likewise, UNFPA Representative to Nepal Ms. Giulia Vallese said the dignity kits will support women in their basic necessities after being displaced by floods in those four districts. "This support is in accordance with UNFPA Nepal's commitment to providing reproductive health services, prevent and respond to gender based violence, prevent transmission of HIV and provide much-needed hygiene supplies," she added.
In Nepal, UNFPA has been working with the government, other UN agencies, development partners and humanitarian organizations like NRCS to ensure that the needs of women of reproductive age are not forgotten during disaster preparedness and response. This includes ensuring the protection from different forms of violence and ensuring provision of reproductive health services and access and utilization of the same.
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For more information, please contact:
Santosh Chhetri, Advocacy and Communications Officer, UNFPA Nepal
+Tel: 5523880/9801056028 +Email: schhetri@unfpa.org
