Dignity kit
What happens when you have periods in a refugee camp?
“First of all, thank you. Not very often the linkage between taking care of yourself and your sexuality and employment equality is self-evident. There is a lot inside this box” says Giada, looking at the sample of a dignity kit, containing essentials as soap, shampoo, laundry detergent, toothbrush and paste, pads, underclothes, and other personal care products.
For those working in the field, dignity kits are essential for supporting women and girls living in crisis contexts, as conflicts, humanitarian emergencies, and situations of specific vulnerability. Not only these kits provide for essential hygiene goods, but they also produce a wider and more significant impact.
In 2022 in Afghanistan, AIDOS distributed sanitary and hygienic products to women and girls in especially vulnerable situations, with the aim of guaranteeing minimum personal hygiene and of preventing health issues in a context with extremely limited access to essentials. The activity reached older women, pregnant or breastfeeding women, adolescents, people living with disability, and women with children. They expressed great appreciation for the activity, underlying it was a fundamental support, one they never received before.
At the same time in Jordan, between 2022 and 2026, dignity kits distribution was a core element of projects aimed at reinforcing women empowerment. In those context, the kits were designed through a participatory approach, adapting their contents to specific groups needs. The results showed an improved well-being and more participation to learning and trainings activities.
Similar interventions were realised in Lebanon too, where in 2022, 80 dignity kits were ditributed to women regularly attending the reproductive health centres supported by AIDOS.
Overall, these experiences show that access to essentials not only is an immediate response to emergency needs, but it is also fundamental for reinforcing the autonomy of women and girls living in complex contexts. More specifically, sanitary products directly affect physical and psychological health, contributing to reinforce self-esteem, to foster bodily autonomy, to support mobility – crucial for accessing education and work – and to promote an active and aware participation to community life.