What exactly is a dignity kit? On the heels of Menstrual Hygiene DayCelebrated annually on May 28, here are five quick facts:
1. What is a dignity kit?
In response to emergencies, UN agencies are acting quickly to reach people in need, including the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the UN Sexual and Reproductive Health Organization, UNFPA. Part of what these and other aid organizations do to help is distributing basic services to maintain the health and dignity of women and girls. Many of these are contained in containers called dignity kits.
A dignity kit contains basic items that women and girls need to protect themselves and maintain their hygiene, respect and dignity during disasters, war and other crises.
These items are all housed in a backpack or an easy-to-carry bucket.
© UNICEF/Eyad El Baba
Girls affected by the ongoing conflict in Gaza receive a care and protection package distributed by UNICEF.
2. What’s in it?
UNFPA’s dignity kits vary by community. The basic kit contains 10 key essential items.
Kits can also be customized with 39 different items. In some situations, for example, a headscarf may be required.
They generally include sanitary napkins, bath soap, several pairs of underwear, washing powder, sanitary towels, a flashlight, toothpaste, a toothbrush and a comb.
Each of these items addresses the specific needs of women and girls in communities around the world.
© UNFPA
Contents of a UNFPA worthiness package.
3. Why is menstrual support critical in times of crisis?
All women and girls who menstruate need basic necessities. But in times of crisis, these needs often fall by the wayside.
That’s why UN emergency operations have stepped in to provide them with basic necessities. This includes war zones, disaster-affected communities and refugee camps. In these types of crises, access to basic goods and services is affected, so the UN tries to meet those needs.
Providing periodic support can improve health, reduce gender-based violence, and more. Read UNFPA’s explanation of five key reasons why here.
Read more about how the UN agency helps women and girls in war-torn Gaza in the video below:
4. How do you get a dignity package?
UNFPA and UNICEF maintain pre-positioned stocks of dignity kits in their humanitarian warehouses.
This means UNFPA supplies can be delivered anywhere in the world within 48 hours.
UNICEF, which maintains the world’s largest warehouse for humanitarian goods in Denmark, has kits ready for distribution to crisis-hit areas.
The UN never charges beneficiaries for humanitarian assistance. So the dignity kits and other emergency aid are free.
See below how UNFPA reached women and girls affected by the deadly 2023 earthquakes in Türkiye and Syria:
5. Ending ‘period poverty’
Key to the UN efforts aimed at addressing the needs of menstruating women and girls is raising awareness and reducing what is called ‘period poverty’.
UN women defines period poverty as the “inability to afford and access menstrual products, sanitation and hygiene facilities, and education and awareness to manage menstrual health.” It is caused by stigma, high costs of menstrual products and lack of water and sanitation facilities.
Ending the stigma of menstruation is part of the UN’s efforts to raise awareness in communities around the world, from Gambia to Nepal.
Watch this explanatory video from UNFPA Nepal, with English subtitles, about dignity kits below:
