What exactly is a dignity kit? On the heels of Menstrual Hygiene Day, marked annually on 28 May, here are five fast facts:
Contents of a UNFPA dignity kit.
3. Why is menstruation support critical in times of crises?
All women and girls who are menstruating need basic supplies. But, in times of crisis, these needs often fall to the wayside.
So, UN emergency aid operations have jumped in to provide them with the basic essentials. That includes in warzones, disaster-affected communities and in refugee camps. In these kinds of crisis situations, access to basic goods and services is affected, so the UN tries to meet those needs.
Providing period support can boost health, reduce gender-based violence and more. Read UNFPA’s explainer on five key reasons why here.
Learn 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 kit?
UNFPA and UNICEF keep prepositioned stocks of dignity kits in their humanitarian warehouses.
For instance, UNFPA supplies can be delivered anywhere in the world within 48 hours.
UNICEF, which maintains the world’s largest humanitarian goods warehouse located in Denmark, has kits on hand, ready for distribution to crisis-affected areas.
The UN never charges beneficiaries for humanitarian aid. So, the dignity kits along with other emergency assistance are free.
Watch how UNFPA reached out to women and girls affected by the 2023 deadly earthquakes in Türkiye and Syria below:
5. Ending ‘period poverty’
Key to UN efforts aimed at addressing the needs of menstruating women and girls is raising awareness while stemming 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 UN efforts to raise awareness in communities around the world, from The Gambia to Nepal.
Check out this explainer video from UNFPA Nepal, with English subtitles, about dignity kits below: