Rauna Kalola
The United Nations Population Fund has donated 375 dignity kits to adolescent girls, expectant and lactating mothers in Erongo region this week.
The support was made through the financial support from the government of Japan.
UNFPA is a sexual and reproductive health agency aiming to support government and partners to meet family planning needs, said the UNFPA’s officer in-charge Loide Amkongo.
“We want to make sure that young girls who are sexually active and want contraceptive, can access them and we want to ensure that we end preventable maternal death.
If somebody gets pregnant, intentionally or unintentionally, we want to make sure that you deliver the baby safely. We also aim at ensuring that we end gender based violence,” Amkongo said.
Speaking on behalf of the Erongo governor Neville Andre, in an acceptance speech, the Arandis councillor and chairperson of Erongo Regional Council, Benitha Imbamba, stated that the occasion is one of a kind and a rare occurrence in the region.
“We are reminded again to show solidarity with adolescent girls, pregnant women and lactating mothers and show support through the provision of dignity kits,” Imbamba said.
Although the donations may seem like a small gesture, it is a lifesaver to the beneficiaries, she added.
The beneficiaries lamented that sanitary items are expensive and parents cannot afford to supply them at all times.
Innocentia Syster, a grade 7 learner at Hanganeni Primary School stated, “sometimes we honestly struggle as young women to afford some of these things (sanitary items), some of us and our parents cannot afford and we are grateful we have the government to support
us.”
The project was funded with approximately US$7.4 million to address the needs of the most vulnerable groups, particularly young girls, and one of the needs of young girls is to have dignity when on their periods.
Plans are underway to distribute dignity kits containing sanitary items to various parts of the region.