Promoting women's hygiene in emergency situations

The women living in IDP camps face various problems including lack of privacy during urinating, defecation and menstruation. Concern World Wide and UNICEF worked together to promote hygiene education among women to enable them manage their personal hygiene relating to menstruation. A total of 35,000 women living in 7 IDP camps participated in the project. Hygiene education was carried out and backed with hygiene supplies that included pieces of cotton cloth to use as sanitary pads, 3 pairs of underwear, soap, basin and construction of 96 bathing shelters. A monitoring visit revealed some major achievements of the project that included improved management of personal hygiene with dignity and privacy, addressing the reproductive health issues and sexual gender-based violence and improved classroom attendance among the girls. The project had some constraints mainly brought about by age differences, movements of IDPs and using some of the items for other pressing needs. The project recommends similar efforts to be replicated in other IDP situations. UNICEF and partners adopted the approach for the IDPs in Northern Uganda.