The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in Brazil starts to deliver, this Wednesday (22/04), a thousand Dignity Kits for migrant and refugee people in Roraima, a state with a greater influx of Venezuelan immigrants, to help the prevention against the COVID-19 pandemic. The kits contain personal and hygiene items, divided into male, female and children categories. At a first moment, priority will be given to pregnant and lactating women, survivors of gender-based violence, elderly people and children. The delivery takes place in Boa Vista and Pacaraima.

With the delivery, UNFPA seeks to guarantee for these people, who are in a situation of great vulnerability during the pandemic, access to items such as soap, deodorant, toothbrush, intimate pads (in the case of women) and alcohol gel. 

In addition to the individual kits, 200 collective cleaning kits will be distributed, containing items such as bleach, detergent, broom and washing powder. These products will be essential to ensure the decontamination and cleaning of environments with a high concentration of migrants and refugees, such as shelters and spontaneous occupations.

Support for pregnant women is also essential. “With the pandemic, we realize that many essential services are overloaded. This increases our concern for pregnant women even more”, explains the head of UNFPA office in Roraima, Igo Martini.

Along with the kits, the UNFPA Brazil intends to share information through virtual sessions on how to perform complete hygiene. “We want to prioritize personal hygiene kits for these women, so they also can understand the importance of using this material correctly in prevention,” explains Igo. 

Since 2017, the UNFPA Brazil has been operating in Roraima, through its Humanitarian Assistance program, focusing on pregnant women and other vulnerable groups in the displacement process, such as elderly, people living with HIV, indigenous, LGBTI, people with disabilities, among others.

The action of delivering the kits is one of many other measures that the UNFPA Brazil adopted in response to the COVID-19. In addition to Roraima, the migrant and refugee population of Manaus, the street population of the Federal District and groups of women survivors of violence in Bahia should also be receiving kits shortly. UNFPA is investing R$ 467 thousand from its core budget, and working on the mobilization of another R$ 427 thousand with partners and private initiative.