UNFPA supports flood victims

United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) has come to the rescue of about 400 women and adolescent girls at Kakoma Camp in Karonga with dignity kits after being displaced by floods.

Handing over the items at the camp, UNFPA deputy representative Rogaia Abdelrahim said the items which include wrappers (zitenje), toothpaste, toothbrush, soap, sanitary pads and body lotion to promote personal hygiene among the women and girls, according to a statement made available to The Nation.

“As UNFPA, we are always there to make sure that the rights and needs of women and girls are at the forefront of humanitarian responses to maintain their dignity and restore safety and access to sexual and reproductive health, including services for safe pregnancy and childbirth, as well as protection from gender violence, as quickly as possible, that is why these dignity kits are important,” she said.

Fyness Mughogho, a mother of six and a beneficiary of the dignity kits, appreciated the importance of the items.

She said: “I used to borrow a pail from a teacher at the nearby school to use for bathing and washing clothes. Now that I have mine, the inconvenience I was causing to this family is no longer there.”

Another beneficiary Tukwiwa Kafwala (17), a Standard Five girl,  said she was pleased to see the contents of the dignity kits as they address the needs she faces in her everyday life at the camp and school.

Kakoma camp has about 386

households and the number is increasing due to the continuous rains that are flooding some unaffected areas in northern Karonga.

Heavy rains continue in Karonga and more assessments are currently being undertaken to estimate the additional number of people affected.

In 2015, Karonga was also affected by the floods where many houses were destroyed by the floods and the affected populations were kept in camps until the situation normalised. n