By Roger Nokes | Communications Manager
Relief and recovery efforts are ongoing in the Philippines as floodwaters from Typhoon Koppu, known locally as Typhoon Lando, continue to recede. Among those affected are hundreds of thousands of women and girls of childbearing age and tens of thousands of pregnant women, UNFPA estimates.
In areas severely affected by the floods, there have been reports of women giving birth in evacuation centers.
In response, UNFPA has deployed hygiene supplies to pregnant women and new mothers and has delivered medical equipment to health workers to support safe childbirth.
For only $11 you can provide 3 emergency clean birthing kits to help deliver babies safely in crisis situations.
The typhoon was unusually large and slow-moving, unleashing flash floods and landslides when it made landfall on October 18th.
As of November 6th, roughly 713,600 people were still displaced and an estimated 9,000 survivors were currently crowded into evacuation centers.
Health facilities have also been badly affected. At Casiguran District Hospital, much of the roof was blown off the building, and staff members were forced to attend to childbirths in the emergency room because of extensive damage to the maternity ward.
UNFPA has provided the hospital with clean delivery kits, which contain the medicines and sterile supplies required to safely perform deliveries.
“Pregnant women deliver even in emergencies. We must ensure that they continue to have access to safe and clean delivery despite the situation,” said Klaus Beck, UNFPA’s Representative in the Philippines. “It is a matter of life and death for the woman and the baby.”
UNFPA has also distributed thousands of dignity kits – which contain hygiene supplies, including soap, sanitary napkins, underwear and other essential items – for pregnant and breastfeeding women in affected provinces.
A donation of only $25 can provide one woman in a humanitarian setting such as the Philippines or Nepal with hygiene essentials for six months, ensuring that she is able to maintain her dignity and health in emergency situations.
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