Have you ever considered what it’s like to manage a period during a humanitarian emergency? We are USA for UNFPA, the United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency. Our mission is to ensure the needs of women and girls are never forgotten, even during crises.

That’s why we produce our Dignity Kits, care packages that ensure reproductive healthcare needs are met.

Dignity Kits are a vital part of UNFPA’s humanitarian response, providing displaced women and girls with the supplies they need to manage their periods safely and with dignity. Each kit contains 10 essential supplies including soap and both reusable and single-use menstrual products and can be delivered around the world within 48 hours.

To see how your donation translates into real impact, you will find a range of suggested gift options below — beginning with delivering four Dignity Kits to four women and girls in need — so you can choose how many women and girls you can potentially reach with this essential support.

Women and girls do not stop getting their periods when disaster strikes. In Gaza, where millions are struggling to find enough food to eat or enough water to drink, women and girls’ menstrual health needs have been all but forgotten.

Bakiza, who has been displaced in Gaza for months, shared this with us: “I have a young daughter. She’s 16 years old. I would cut a piece of cloth to use as a sanitary napkin for our periods…. She told me ‘Mama, we can’t do this!’ but what could I do?” 

Aisha, also displaced in Gaza, told us: “I only have one pair of underwear, and I have to wash them with dirty water and then use them again.” 

Menstrual products are nearly nonexistent in Gaza — and even if they can be found, they are far too expensive for many families who must prioritize food. For the 690,000 women and girls who are of menstruation age in Gaza, this crisis is opening them up to infection at a moment when their immune systems are also critically low, further endangering their lives.

We’re on the ground in Gaza and beyond, supplying UNFPA Dignity Kits to as many women and girls we can reach. The number of women and girls we reach depends on gifts from generous donors like you. We’ve already distributed over 500,000 pads and thousands of Dignity Kits to women and girls in Gaza but there are so many more in need.

Thank you for being there for women and girls.

— USA for UNFPA