Julia Kamarenga 

The initiative by the United Nations Population Fund to distribute dignity kits to vulnerable girls and women has reached the Omaheke region, 1 000 kits were distributed to various schools and communities in different constituencies. 
The gesture is in response to the head of state’s call for development partners to complement government efforts and the intervention is directly targeting women and girls of reproductive age, including girls living with disabilities and other vulnerable persons.

The region, like many others in the country, has challenges such as learners absconding classes during their menstrual cycle, a situation which continues to negatively affect the learners’ academic progress.

It is due to this predicament that the United Nations Development Fund initiated the dignity kits to be given to vulnerable girls, girls living with disabilities, lactating women and girls who are part of teen clubs in order to retain their dignity. “It is very important for the women and girls to afford dignity and be respected and the kits come with messages of hope and being able to seek support when you require support. We want to ensure that we strengthen our capacities as partners of the government to be able to protect the different categories of vulnerable people in our communities. Our aim is to raise awareness amongst school girls and women in the communities and also amongst boys to be able to respect women, respond and prevent gender based violence,” said Harriet Adong, the Gender Based Specialist of the United Nations Population Fund.

The dignity kit amongst several items contains necessities such as sanitary napkins, washing powder, flashlight torch, and female underwears.
Hedwig Kazarako, the principal for Donkerbos Primary School, welcomed the gesture and said it comes at the right time when the entire country is battling with Covid-19 and the physical cleanliness matters most.
Menstrual health education was given to both the girls and women in the community with one on one sessions as part of protection from sexual and gender-based violence including sexually transmitted infections and HIV.