When disaster strikes, sexual and reproductive health and rights are among the most neglected basic needs.

That’s why UNFPA is delivering Dignity Kits to women and girls in crisis zones around the globe. These kits contain essentials for women and girls to care for themselves in the face of natural disasters and crises. Each kit comes with washable and disposable sanitary pads, underwear, toiletries such as soap and a reusable cloth, a whistle, and a solar-powered flashlight.

Dignity Kits are also customized to meet immediate needs, like blankets and warm clothes to help families stay warm during brutal winter weather in places like Gaza, Ukraine, and Afghanistan.

For every $15 you give, UNFPA can deliver another Dignity Kit to one more woman or girl in need. Your gift will empower the most vulnerable in humanitarian crises to manage their periods with dignity — no matter the circumstances. Can women and girls count on you today?

“I ended up tearing pieces of fabric to manage, and my daughter told me, ‘Mama, we can't do this!’ But what can I do?” Bakiza, a displaced mother in Rafah, Gaza, told us.

Pads and tampons are readily available to many of us in stores and public restrooms, but women and girls in Gaza must go to great lengths to retain their dignity and their hygiene.

The lack of water makes it nearly impossible to bathe and presents several preventable health risks, such as urinary tract infections and bacterial vaginosis. Aisha in Gaza said, “I only have one pair of underwear, and I have to wash them with dirty water and then use them again.”

Bakiza’s daughter and Aisha are among the nearly 2 billion people in the world who menstruate every month — but they are forced to do so under unimaginable circumstances.

UNFPA welcomes the recent ceasefire deal in Gaza, and we’ll use this opportunity to scale up our efforts to reach women and girls in need. We’ve already distributed over 500,000 disposable sanitary pads and 300 Dignity Kits and menstrual hygiene management kits in Gaza, but there’s still so much work to do.

Each Dignity Kit costs only $15 to create, but the contents of each kit are priceless to the recipients. Will you make a gift to deliver Dignity Kits to those who need them around the world?

Thank you for being there for women and girls.

— USA for UNFPA