Ministry's Secretary Dhana Bahadur Tamang, UNFPA Nepal Goodwill ambassador Manisha Koirala and the UN Population Fund's Representative for Nepal, Giulia Vallese, jointly launched the campaign 'Dignity First' and its Nepali version 'Vipatma parda jahile; Mahila ko maryada pahile' amidst a function held in the capital city.
"Each of us need to be proactive in preserving the dignity of women and girls in an emergency situation," said Secretary Tamang adding the government appreciated UNFPA's assistance in the wake of the disaster.
On the occasion, social activist and Bollywood actress, Manisha Koirala said the support covers a range of issues from reproductive health to the prevention of the gender-based violence. "But at the heart of this work is the concept of 'Dignity First' – the dignity of women and girls whose lives are shattered must be restored together with their physical health and wellbeing," she said.
Koirala further added that Dignity Kits with sanitary pads, clean clothes and other necessities would help restore the sense of dignity and poise of the quake victims. The dignity kits also include safety items such as a torch to reduce the risk of sexual violence.
Apart from dignity kits, UNFPA has provided a range of other services, from creating women-friendly spaces to help protect women and girls at camps for the displaced and other environments, to vital reproductive health services that include safe child birth in a clean environment as well as contraceptives, medicine, and other supplies that women and girls need at the time of crisis.
"The challenges in responding to the earthquake are huge," Giulia Vallese stressed adding, "The sheer number of women and girls who need support, the logistical challenges in getting services to them especially in the monsoon season is fast approaching, the need to raise sufficient funds and other resources from donors to ensure we can sustain our response well into the future." Vallese said the UNFPA Nepal and its partners were in Nepal for a long haul.
An estimated 1.4 million women of reproductive age have been impacted by the earthquake across the 14 districts worst affected by the earthquake and a series of powerful aftershocks. Of the total women 93,000 are estimated to be pregnant of whom 10,300 are expected to deliver each month. RSS
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