UNFPA provides humanitarian assistance to IDPs in Vavuniya

Women and girls uprooted by the conflict in Northern Sri Lanka increasingly need personal hygiene supplies. UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund is collaborating with district health authorities to provide hygiene packs to displaced people in Vavuniya district.

A total of 25,000 packs worth US$ 129,000 will be distributed, of which 13,000 have already been handed over to the Regional Director of Health Services in Vavuniya Dr. M. Mahendran.

These include soap, washing powder, a toothbrush, other toiletries, undergarments and sanitary supplies for menstruation. They allow women and girls of reproductive age to keep a sense of dignity and also facilitate their mobility.

In addition, UNFPA handed over 20 beds and 60 bed sheets to furnish the proposed post-natal care unit at the Ayurvedic Hospital in Paipeymadu, Vavuniya, where postpartum patients and infants can stay during their recovery.

"Women and girls have unique needs," UNFPA Representative Lene K. Christianson said.

"UNFPA is working with Government and non-Governmental partners to meet these needs and enable women to maintain their health and personal dignity," she added.

Under its humanitarian program, the Fund continues to provide maternity kits to displaced pregnant women at 37 weeks, to safeguard the hygiene of mothers and newborns after delivery.