Ulaanbaatar – At an official ceremony on August 15, 2016, UNFPA Mongolia handed over Dignity Kits to the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) for distribution to the women and girls affected by the flood in Bayan-Ulgii province last July 10. This is in response to the massive downpour and subsequent flooding which affected approximately 700 people in Bayan-Ulgii Province, many of whom remain displaced, including at least 240 women and girls (of reproductive age).

For women and girls, the aftermath of any disaster brings unique challenges as well as risks to health and personal safety. Access to essential items for maintaining hygiene and health are often harder under these circumstances, due to less disposable incomes and the limited ability to procure basic supplies. As such, UNFPA Mongolia ensures that the reproductive health needs and protection concerns of women and girls are integrated into emergency responses. One of the ways in which UNFPA addresses the special needs of women and girls during the aftermath of natural disasters is by providing Dignity Kits.

The Dignity Kits are assembled to help preserve sanitation and hygiene for women and girls, whose overall health, safety and dignity may often become the last priority, as families struggle to cope with and recover from the lingering effects of the disaster. The kits contain sanitary supplies, underwear, clothes, socks, towels and soaps, as well as protection items including whistles and torches with batteries.

"UNFPA is working with the Government of Mongolia and strives to bring support to women and girls in these affected areas,” says Naomi Kitahara, UNFPA Representative. “It is essential to provide them a means to maintain basic hygiene, a sense of well-being and dignity as they cope in the aftermath on the road to recovery.” About UNFPA (www.mongolia.unfpa.org) UNFPA is the UN agency delivering a world where every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe and every young person's potential is fulfilled. UNFPA Mongolia currently implements the 5th Country Programme 2012-2016, closely in line with the United Nations Development Assistance Framework for Mongolia.

By:A.Esguerra