“As a woman displaced and living in a tent, I feel like my needs as a woman are SEEN when I go through the content of this Dignity Kit (DK).”
This sentiment was shared by 25-year-old Josika Aron, an 8-month-old pregnant young woman who lost her family home during the Mulitaka Landslide that hit the area in May this year.
The Dignity Kit contained sanitary pads, towel, slippers, bath soaps, underwear, flashlight, toothbrush and toothpaste, and a waist cloth also known as a laplap. All these items are to help women and girls maintain their dignity during a humanitarian crisis.
“I am due to give birth soon and sanitary pads and underwear are important items for me. But I cannot speak up about my needs because it is taboo in my culture. I am grateful for my DK.”
UNFPA with the support and partnership from Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) successfully distributed 174 Dignity Kits to young women and girls between the ages of 15- 29 years old. Prior to this distribution, 90 DKs were distributed at the end of May 2024 by the Enga Provincial Health Authority to women and girls affected by the landslide in Mulitaka and 12 DKs on 5 August to those living in Pokalip. In this recent distribution, six women were pregnant, including Ms. Josika Aron and there was one young girl by the name Christie Lara who was a person living with disability.
Local women community leader Ms. Annette Jack who helped facilitate the distribution expressed her gratitude and appreciation to DFAT and UNFPA on behalf of the affected women in the community. “During this tough time in my community, our focus has been more on food and shelter, and as a woman, I have forgotten that I have basic needs too and I have a responsibility to take care of myself and my dignity.”
“The nearest shops for a woman to go to to get supplies especially like menstruating pads is in Wabag town, a three-hour ride away and bus fare that will cost PGK60 to go and return. This DK makes me happy, and I know it has put a smile on the faces of all the women and girls who have received it. Thank you UNFPA and DFAT.”
UNFPA also supported the Mulitaka Health Center and Pokalip Aid Post with five DFAT-prepositioned Reproductive Health Kits to ensure safe deliveries of babies during this time of crisis.
