Pacific Women

1 day ago

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Australia will partner with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) to fund a new project that will ensure that dispensaries and health centres throughout the FSM are able to provide women and girls access to essential products and services:https://pacificwomen.org/news/australias-response-to-covid-19-in-fsm-through-partnership-with-iom/
This project will also improve dispensaries’ and health centres’ water supply systems, sanitation facilities, and hygiene supplies and practices.
The overall objective of this project is to support the FSM’s capacity to prevent, detect, and respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as meeting the needs of local communities, especially those most vulnerable such as women and girls. FSM has recently included gender-based violence (GBV) services as one of the essential services to be decentralized to dispensaries and health centres in all four states.
Existing gender inequalities are known to worsen during a crisis, resulting in women and girls facing even higher rates of family violence and being less able to access essential health services. This project will provide psychological first aid training to dispensary staff, information packets on gender-based violence (GBV) and ways to get help, as well as dignity kits for GBV victims. The dignity kits will be prepared in the FSM containing reusable menstrual hygiene pads, soap and other products essential for women’s health and hygiene. Many of the products in each dignity kit will be hand-made locally by women in the FSM to provide entrepreneurial opportunities for women and support women’s economic empowerment.
The initiative is the result of a new partnership between the International Organization (IOM) and the Australian Embassy in Pohnpei. Pacific Women Shaping Pacific Development (Pacific Women) will be providing additional technical support.
Australia is contributing USD300,000 towards this project. IOM will coordinate the project’s implementation, working with a wide range of partners including the FSM Department of Health and Social Affairs; State Department of Health in Pohnpei, Chuuk, Kosrae, and Yap, Department of Environment, Climate Change and Emergency Management (DECEM); Environment Protection Agency (EPA); World Health Organization (WHO); and the newly established FSM Social Protection Cluster.
Australia in Micronesia
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