21-year-old Ms. Lisah Paul was all smiles over the weekend after receiving her Dignity Kit. She could not express in words, but her smiles and gestures said it all as she went through the contents of the bucket.

Lisah was born deaf. She cannot hear and she cannot speak. She was brought to the Wonepap Catholic Parish by her grandmother, who heard news of the distribution of these kits from the local priest. They traveled a few miles from their local village to reach the church.

Women and girls are among the most vulnerable during a humanitarian crisis, or in this case, election-related violence, and too often women and girls with disabilities are forgotten.

Lisah was among 300 women and girls in Laiagam District who each received a Dignity Kit. These women continue to face the consequences of the election-related violence in the district, and most are displaced, living in neighboring villages. This violence started during the PNG National Elections 2022 and hundreds of women, men, girls, and boys continue to be affected by the ongoing conflicts. 

The women and girls who received these kits travelled from 14 villages around the district. Women from Komaip walked 24 hours to get to Wonepap Catholic Church. 24 hours to receive menstrual pads and soap, basic hygiene supplies that should be a right, not a privilege.

Ms. Erika Aiyah, from the Mapumanda outstation in Laiagam, expressed her gratitude on behalf of the 25 women from her outstation, and the women in her district, saying the products in the kits were of great need to the women.

“We need this,” she said. “We need menstrual pads. We need underwear. We need torches and whistles during times of violence and these kits meet our needs and more.”

Ms. Aiyah also shared that election-related violence continues to exist in the villages and women are being killed.

“Living in our villages is not safe anymore because violence erupts unexpectedly,” she said. “Most of the women have moved into the Catholic outstation in Mapumanda because in the Church, we are safe. So, we seek refuge there.”

The local priest at Wonepap Catholic Station, Father Newman Kingi, distributed the kits and reminded the women and girls of the importance of utilizing all the products in the kits. He thanked UNFPA and USAID for such a generous donation of important hygiene items to the affected women and girls.

“We are thankful for this support, for recognising the needs our women and girls face, and for these partners for stepping in and helping,” he said. “Thank you for these kits and also for the new tent, which will be used as a safe space for our women and girls.”

UNFPA, through the funding support of USAID, provided the district with a tent to be used as a temporary safe space for people who are displaced by violence to receive information and to seek support. Safe spaces such as these, though basic, are easily accessible to survivors of violence in Laiagam District. Frontline responders in the district have received training in psychological first aid to provide evidence-based psychosocial care for survivors.

“These affected women and girls find refuge in the church and through this partnership between UNFPA and the Catholic Church, more will be done and we look forward to it,” said Fr Newman.