120 UN dignity kits donated to Tobago

THE United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) have donated 120 dignity kits to the THA and civil society organisations as emergency relief for vulnerable women and girls.

The kits were handed over on March 25 by Ayanna Webster-Roy, Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister with responsibility for Gender and Child Affairs, who reiterated the Government’s commitment to a longlasting collaboration with its civil society partners for the benefit of all Tobago residents. The handover ceremony was held at the Office of the Prime Minister - Central Administrative Services Tobago (OPM-CAST), Singh’s Building, Orange Hill Road, Scarborough.

The kits were supplied through the European Union-funded Spotlight Initiative, and are designed to help women and girls maintain proper hygiene in emergency situations, improve period poverty among displaced females, as well as provide information on the referral pathways for lifesaving services.

The kits were distributed among OPM-CAST; the Gender Unit and the Community Social Services Unit in the Division of Health Wellness and Social Protection (DHWSP); the County Medical Office of Health (CMOH) of the Tobago Regional Health Authority (TRHA); the Tobago Emergency Management Agency (TEMA); and Tabitha’s Home for Women and Children. Women of Substance, a non-governmental organisation working primarily with women, will also receive kits.

In January, 182 dignity kits were distributed to 19 governmental and civil society organisations. Earlier in March, over 86 dignity kits were also distributed to the regional Disaster Management Units of the Ministry of Rural Development and Local Government, as part of activities being hosted in commemoration of International Women’s Day.