UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund and the Disaster Management Authority (DMA) paved way forward on how to support vulnerable women and girls who have been affected by the recent floods and the COVID-19 pandemic in Lesotho.
health
April 11, 2021
STAFF REPORTER
3 min read
UNFPA, DMA support women affected by floods, COVID-19
The UNFPA Representative to Lesotho Dr Marc Derveeuw
During a last week meeting between the UNFPA representative to Lesotho Dr Marc Derveeuw and the Chief Executive Officer for DMA Caroline Mahosi, the two organisations agreed to collaborate in distribution of dignity kits which will be accompanied by information on available gender-based violence services, including where and how to access those services. The DMA will identify the most vulnerable areas in the country for distribution.
Speaking during the meeting, Dr Marc Derveeuw said the dignity kits, which have been procured by UNFPA, contain hygiene products and have been designed specifically to assist women in distress, women that had to leave their households or had to be hosted by other families, so as to reinstall their dignity.
He said the UNFPA has already completed a series of distribution campaigns of dignity kits in partnership with the office of the First Lady and the Lesotho Red Cross Society (LRCS), focusing on women and girls who have been affected by floods.
“We saw increased cases of violence during the floods and sexual exploitation as well as forced prostitution in certain circumstances and we have seen that women are the biggest victims during these emergencies,” he added.
He reaffirmed the UNFPA’s commitment to supporting the DMA, focusing particularly on ensuring continuity of Sexual and Reproductive Health Services and also giving attention to Gender Based Violence specifically domestic violence and violence against women.
“We focus on assisting women victims of drought, women victims of violence because of the drought and women being left alone at their households but our particular attention also goes to continuity of family planning services and continuity of access to maternity for delivery during emergencies,” he said.
Dr Derveeuw noted that at regional level, UNFPA is having important discussions on the effects of climate change on the Fund’s work and activities, highlighting that the recent floods were confirmation of how vulnerable Lesotho is to the overall climate change.
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In the same vein, the DMA CEO Mrs Mahosi concurred that women had mostly been negatively affected by the recent floods, adding that some of them had their houses destroyed and their crops washed away, leaving them with nothing to live on.
“COVID-19 also caused us a lot of stress and increased the vulnerability of women and girls. Most of our assessment results show that women and girls are mostly vulnerable especially head of households,” she added.
The UNFPA and DMA will also work together in undertaking the upcoming Lesotho Vulnerability Assessment.
Reports show that at least 54 foot bridges were destroyed by the recent floods, cutting access to, among others, health services for pregnant women and other women seeking family planning services.
For UNFPA, during natural disasters, sexual and reproductive health needs are often overlooked, with devastating consequences.
Pregnant women risk life-threatening complications without access to delivery and emergency obstetric care services and women and girls become likely to lose access to family planning services, exposing them to unintended pregnancy in perilous conditions.
In addition, women and girls also become more vulnerable to sexual violence, exploitation and HIV infection. LeNA
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