Essential items provided to women and girls affected by COVID-19

Some 5,100 Dignity Kits of essential items will be distributed to women and girls in the provinces of Bac Giang and Bac Ninh as well as Ho Chi Minh City, the locations most affected by the current wave of COVID-19.

The UNFPA Dignity Kits handed over to the Vietnam Farmers’ Union for distribution to women and girls in the pandemic-hit localities of Bac Ninh, Bac Giang and Ho Chi Minh City. (Photo: UNFPA Vietnam)
The UNFPA Dignity Kits handed over to the Vietnam Farmers’ Union for distribution to women and girls in the pandemic-hit localities of Bac Ninh, Bac Giang and Ho Chi Minh City. (Photo: UNFPA Vietnam)

On June 22, the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) handed nearly 5,100 Dignity Kits to the Vietnam Farmers’ Union to be distributed to women and girls at risk of gender-based violence as a result of COVID-19 in the three localities.

The delivery was made possible in partnership with the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), the Government of Australia and the Government of Japan.

Since April 17, the fourth wave of COVID-19 has affected dozens of provinces and cities across Vietnam, with Bac Giang, Bac Ninh and HCM City among the most affected.

As seen in many parts of the world, containment measures, especially social isolation and quarantine applied to control the pandemic, tend to exacerbate existing inequalities and disproportionately affect vulnerable populations, especially women and girls.

Each dignity kit includes essential items for female needs. (Photo: UNFPA Vietnam)

Dignity Kits are a signature product of the UNFPA's comprehensive package of humanitarian assistance, aiming to safeguard the sexual and reproductive health and rights of women and girls, while mitigating the risk of gender-based violence and protecting the dignity of women and girls adversely affected by crisis.

Each Dignity Kit comprises basic items that women and girls need to protect themselves and maintain their basic hygiene, respect and dignity in the face of COVID-19, said Naomi Kitahara, UNFPA Representative for Vietnam at the handover ceremony, adding that it is about making sure that everyone is part of the country’s sustainable development process, leaving no one behind.

Vice Chairman of the Vietnam Farmers’ Union, Nguyen Xuan Dinh, said the Dignity Kits, especially the information and knowledge on how to protect themselves from gender-based violence, are very useful for women. He pledged that the Vietnam Farmers’ Union promises to immediately deliver all the kits to women in need.

The union will distribute 2,397 kits to Bac Giang, 1,438 to Bac Ninh and 1,259 to HCM City.