A total of 96 dignity kits were distributed to women and girls in the Ambum-Kompiam District of Enga Province over the weekend through the partnership of the Catholic Diocese of Wabag
Kompiam-Ambum District has been inaccessible for the past year due to violence stemming from the 2022 National Elections. Currently, many services cannot access the area and it has been deserted. Women, children, and men have been seeking refuge at the Wapai Catholic Station in the Ambum valley.
The United Nations Population Fund Country Office, through the funding from the Australian Government, has dignity kits pre-positioned for distribution through the Provincial Health Authority the event of humanitarian events. UNFPA has been working with partners in affected communities since October 2022 to identify and distribute these pre-positioned kits. Kompiam-Ambum was the only district facing election-related violence that was unreachable due to the volatility of its situation.
Unreachable, that is, until last weekend, when more than 250 women, children, and men gathered at the Wapai for the distribution of these long-awaited kits. The kits were given to women and girls who have fled not only from Kompiam Ambum but also from Porgera and Laiagam and are seeking refuge at the station.
Dignity kits are packs that contain menstrual pads, underwear, a torch, a t-shirt, a whistle, bath soaps, towels, a laplap, and thongs to ensure that a woman of reproductive age is able to maintain her health and hygiene during times of crisis.
Sr. Mary John from the Catholic Diocese of Wabag who led the distribution in Wapai, shared the excitement in the air amongst the women and girls.
“The women and girls were happy because the kits contained items that they really needed to maintain their dignity,” she said. “They do not have access to sanitary pads or soaps and these kits really served a need they had.”
“Even the men in the community were happy for the recognition given to the needs of women and girls and expressed their desire for this support to continue.”
Sr. Mary also used this opportunity to speak to the people gathered to raise awareness on the ongoing impacts of election-relation conflict, women's hygiene and health needs during times of violence, human rights, and other social issues.
UNFPA works with the Catholic Diocese of Wabag, with support from the Australian Government and the United States Agency for International Development, to provide menstrual hygiene and sexual and reproductive health kits for communities affected by humanitarian emergencies.
