ActionAid Palestine to Distribute Hygiene and Dignity Kits in Yatta to Support Vulnerable Women’s Health and Reproductive Rights
Hebron- Palestine -ActionAid Palestine (AAP) continued implementing the project “Protection, Water, Health and Hygienic Health for vulnerable population in Area C” that it is jointly implemented with Italian organization, CESVI for Cooperation and Development and funded by Italian Agency for Development and Cooperation. AAP distributed hygiene and dignity kits to vulnerable women in communities of Khelet Al-Maya including Al Bwaib, ArRifaiyya and Umm Lasafa in Yatta area. Distributing hygiene and dignity kits on 275 women from aforementioned communities aimed to promote the best practices of personal hygiene and protection, physical and mental health and movement of women and girls.
Dignity and hygiene kits are full package containing sanitary tools and materials providing women with personal hygiene services. They were distributed to mitigate impacts of fragility and vulnerability on women and girls and provide them with information about personal hygiene issues and their relationship to health and connect them to the necessary support services. The items of these kits were also distributed and prepared in accordance with the instructions and guidelines of UN WASH and Protection clusters concerning the nature and form of water interventions, dignity kits and hygiene kits.
AAP worked with local partners on the ground, including the municipal and local councils of those communities, to distribute ready-to-use dignity kits and hygiene kits to respond to the special health needs of women. These kits which contained soap, toothpaste, toothbrush, menstrual pads, loofah,shampoo,washing powder, towels, sterilizer and other items aimed to facilitate the movement of Women and girls and help them to maintain their personal hygiene in a way that maintains their dignity.
Lack of hygiene materials does not only affect the dignity of women and girls, but it also impacts their health, movement, community participation, role in the family and work as well as it will possibly cause lack menstrual items for them. Therefore, hygiene and dignity help women to regain their self-confidence and provide them with basic products to overcome these problems.
Dignity and hygiene kits are useful for women and girls, not only because they contain hygiene products as soap and menstrual hygiene products and other hygiene items, but because they are considered as a tool for reaching women and girls and sending them key messages about sexual and reproductive health and rights, gender-based violence, services and information, and preventing exploitation and sexual assault. These kits will also help women to raise their children and help them with life issues related to hygiene and reduce transmitted diseases resulting from infection and lack of personal and public hygiene.
The project “Protection, Water, Health and Hygienic Health for vulnerable population in Area C” seeks to enhance access to safe water to families, communities, schools and community organizations. It also aims to improve intervention and responses in the fields of health and sanitation. The project targeted the residents of area “C” as they are the most exposed to violations of human rights and international law.
Background Information
ActionAid in Palestine (AAP) is a part of global federation working for social justice and gender equality and eradicate poverty in more than 45 countries around the world. AAP started its work in Palestine in 2007 to strengthen the resilience of Palestinian People as ActionAid believes that they should enjoy their rights to freedom, justice and self-determination. AAP implements a number of programs through its engagement with communities and women and youth groups seeking to empower them and enhance their influential civil and political participation to understand their rights and undertake collective activism to address the protracted rights violations resulting from the prolonged occupation of Palestine. AAP works simultaneously to enhance their leadership capacity and knowledge to practice their citizenship in holding authorities and other duty bearers to account.
For more information, please contact.
Riham Jafari
Coordinator of Advocacy and Communication in Palestine
Mobile:
+972 (0) 595242890
Office:
+972 (0) (2) 22 13 137
Email: