“Displaced women and girls first saw whistles in their kits and asked why they have one because according to their knowledge, a whistle is only used during sporting events, they had no idea that whistles can be used during times of distress to attract help, ” shared Sr. Lorraine Tarasu from the Nazareth Rehabilitation Center in Central Bougainville when asked about the Dignity Kits that were sent to the victims of the Mt. Bagana Volcano eruption in Bougainville during June of this year.
A whistle is one small but significant item that is included in the Regional Prepositioning Initiative kit also known as the Dignity Kit. A kit that contains other basic items such as reusable sanitary pads, towels, torches, slippers, shirts and many other supplies that a woman and girl may need to maintain their hygiene during an emergency situation or crisis.
“These were displaced women from the most remote villages who did not have access to any basic services, let alone a menstruation pad. Most times, they use leaves or a piece of cloth because going to the nearest shop meant walking for days,” continued Sr. Lorraine.
“Their eyes lit up when they realized what the contents were in the kit and they were overjoyed because these are items that they need but are most times overlooked during emergencies.”
UNFPA, through its local partner Nazareth Rehabilitation Center in Central Bougainville, provided 400 individual Dignity Kits to be distributed to the women and girls affected by the Mt. Bagana Volcano. Each box of RPI contained 6 Dignity Kits.
According to Sr. Lorraine, it took two days for her team to distribute 40 boxes, which meant a total of 240 Dignity Kits distributed to displaced women in Wakunai District and Torokina District, both districts affected by the crisis.
Bougainville Women's Federation who assisted and facilitated the distribution process on the ground confirmed that all kits were equally distributed as per the list provided for by the Disaster Management Team.
“Wakunai has 4 local wards so 5 RPI’s were distributed there and Torokina has 5 wards so 4 RPI’s were distributed there which means that a total of 40 RPI’S, 240 Dignity Kits, ” Mr. David Hapoto, Program Manager with the BWF shared.
“These boxes were given directly to the women leaders in the wards who were already working with these displaced women and had the list from the local DMT as well so they were able to do direct implementation.”
For the remaining 26 boxes, the plan is to have them distributed by the current month, November according to Sr. Lorraine Tarasu.
“There are displaced people along the coast in Ban LLG and the Koiare area in Central Bougainville. I have sent my team to identify and confirm these groups of misplaced people and will distribute the remaining 160 DKs to them.”
“I also want to thank UNFPA for this great initiative that has been a great relief for the displaced women. These kits have put a smile on their face because it really addresses the need that is most times culturally overlooked. Thank you.”
