Balkh, Afghanistan – “I am grateful for this kit, it has all the basic things I need but could not afford, especially now after losing my husband,” said teary-eyed Zuleyha as she received a Dignity Kit from a psychosocial support centre in Shortepa District.
The Dignity Kit is a package of essential supplies distributed by UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, during emergencies to help women and girls maintain dignity and hygiene. It contains menstrual products, soap, multipurpose garments, towels, and more.
For Zuleyha, who struggles to provide for her two young children as a solo parent, and many other women impacted by crises in Afghanistan, the Dignity Kit means more than what it contains. The kit supports women and girls in using their limited resources to purchase other critical items, especially in emergency situations.
The Dignity Kit is one of UNFPA’s signature items distributed to women and girls as part of an integrated, coordinated response to humanitarian crises, targeting the most vulnerable populations. Other UNFPA lifesaving humanitarian supplies include Mama & Baby Kits, Midwifery Kits, and the Inter-Agency Reproductive Health Kits.
The emergency context for which these kits are intended requires that they are immediately available for distribution when crisis strikes. To make this happen, the UNFPA Afghanistan Country Office established efficient supply chain operations at the Termez Cargo Center (TCC) in neighbouring Uzbekistan in partnership with the World Food Programme (WFP) Afghanistan and in close coordination with the UNFPA Uzbekistan Country Office.
The TCC, which offers a safe and efficient logistics route, is now utilized for UNFPA’s strategic stockpiling and distribution, ensuring enhanced speed, reliability, and security of humanitarian supply delivery from other countries into Afghanistan.
Other routes and hubs previously utilized and explored by UNFPA caused challenges such as delays, increased costs, security risks, and restrictions that could disrupt supply chain operations. The TCC, which the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan has assigned the status of an International Multifunctional Transport and Logistics Hub for providing humanitarian assistance in the region, offered the best logistical advantages.
The hub has the infrastructure to provide a wide range of transport and logistics services and is located less than 2 kilometres from the border of Uzbekistan and Afghanistan. UN agencies and other international organizations are using it as a logistics hub for humanitarian assistance.
By utilizing the TCC, UNFPA can reduce procurement lead times, particularly for pharmaceutical products and medical supplies; enhance the efficiency of logistics and distribution to Afghanistan, especially in the north and northwest regions; exercise flexibility in shipment planning and emergency response; and save on warehousing costs. The storage conditions also meet UNFPA’s requirements for medical supplies, ensuring proper temperature control for sensitive items.
Mazar District in Balkh Province is one of the areas prioritized for the distribution of Dignity Kits due to its strategic location and the high concentration of displaced populations in the region. Like Zuleyha, women from these areas often lack access to basic hygiene supplies.
The service agreement between UNFPA Afghanistan and WFP Afghanistan was signed in November 2024 to enhance logistics cooperation and mitigate risks associated with delivering humanitarian supplies to Afghanistan. Between December 2024 and February 2025, UNFPA received 27 containers at the TCC, with $2.45 million worth of lifesaving supplies, including Dignity Kits, Mama & Baby Kits, Midwifery Kits and Inter-Agency Reproductive Health Kits.
There are 40 more containers scheduled to arrive between March and June 2025, with a total supply value of $5.4 million. The procurement of these supplies was made possible with the support of the Governments of Australia, New Zealand, USA, United Kingdom, Republic of Korea, China, Japan, and Spain, and the UN Central Emergency Response Fund.
This is good news for women impacted by humanitarian crises in Afghanistan, like Zuleyha, who need lifesaving supplies for their health and well-being.
“I came to this psychosocial support centre hoping for some help, as I have not been feeling well and have been grieving (the death of my husband). I am relieved and grateful that I received counselling and the Dignity Kit. These would be helpful for me and my children,” Zuleyha said.
Another woman from Balkh chimed in: “Receiving this Dignity Kit is a great relief. Being pregnant and struggling financially, I cannot afford to visit a clinic or buy hygiene products. This kit has been a huge help; it not only provides soap and sanitary pads but also gives me a sense of care and dignity,” she mused as she started her way back home, carrying the Dignity Kit.
