For women and girls living through unimaginable conditions in Gaza, the natural process of menstruation has become a nightmare.

Water and sanitation infrastructure in the region is crumbling. The result is a mass scarcity of sanitary products that forces women to use unsafe alternatives. This includes torn fabric, old clothes, or sponges — often reusing them without proper washing.

UNFPA is working to ensure menstrual health is never overlooked in humanitarian efforts to ease suffering in Gaza.

This summer, we set an ambitious goal to mobilize enough support that can provide 2,500 Dignity Kits for the women and girls of Gaza, filled with essential items like sanitary pads, soap, and clean undergarments to uphold dignity and health in these conditions.

It only takes $15 to provide a UNFPA Dignity Kit to women and girls in crisis. Please, make a gift that allows all those who menstruate with the supplies they need to manage their periods with dignity.

“My period started while I was in a crowded shelter. I only had one pad, so I wrapped it with toilet paper to make it last,” a young girl from Gaza told us. “I couldn’t wash, and the pain was horrible. I sat in silence crying until the end of the day.”

A woman and child walk through the destroyed Khan Younis displacement camp amid a dire shortage of hygiene supplies.

There are around 700,000 women and girls of menstruating age in Gaza, including thousands experiencing their first period under bombardment and in filthy, cramped displacement camps with no chance of changing in privacy.

Families do their best to provide makeshift solutions, but these conditions often lead to long-term gynecological complications. “I tore my only shirt into pieces so my daughters could use them instead of pads,” said a father of four daughters, displaced from Jabalia in northern Gaza.

A girl living in a shelter in Gaza shared with us that, after using pieces of her own clothing instead of pads, she contracted an infection. Another adolescent girl expressed the deep frustration and helplessness so many feel: “Every time my period comes, I wish I weren’t a girl.”

More than 10 million sanitary pads are needed each month in Gaza, yet less than a quarter of this number is available. UNFPA can bridge that gap and bring care and dignity to those who need it most, but we need supporters like you to help.

We condemn the violence in Gaza, the West Bank, and Israel, and hope for a sustained humanitarian ceasefire, the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages by Hamas, and an end to the violence. The suffering must end, and peace must prevail.

— USA for UNFPA

P.S. During war, it is women, girls, and children who suffer the most. For example: Reproductive healthcare needs are often overlooked, and we just got word that Gaza is completely out of baby formula. Please, at this dark moment, will you rush a donation to deliver lifesaving care?