USAID donates 4,000 hygiene kits | Page 2 | Sunday Observer

USAID donates 4,000 hygiene kits

20 December, 2020
Colombo Mayor Rosy Senanayake receives USAID donations from SCORE Senior Technical Specialist Dr. Dayani Panagoda. Municipal Commissioner Roshanie Dissanayake, City of Colombo Chief Medical Officer Dr. Ruwan Wijayamuni, SCORE Gender and Social Inclusion Advisor Arun Jentrick, and SCORE Media Advisor Kathya de Silva Senarath look on.
Colombo Mayor Rosy Senanayake receives USAID donations from SCORE Senior Technical Specialist Dr. Dayani Panagoda. Municipal Commissioner Roshanie Dissanayake, City of Colombo Chief Medical Officer Dr. Ruwan Wijayamuni, SCORE Gender and Social Inclusion Advisor Arun Jentrick, and SCORE Media Advisor Kathya de Silva Senarath look on.

Over the past month, the U.S. Government donated 4,000 personal hygiene kits to women from low-income families in the Western Province. On November 23, 850 of the kits were handed over to the Mayor of Colombo, Rosy Senanayake, to be distributed among CMC workers and residents of Modera.

Many women in the targeted areas are too poor to purchase personal hygiene products or are unable to obtain them due to movement restrictions imposed to combat Covid-19.

The initiative was funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), in collaboration with the Social Cohesion and Reconciliation (SCORE) project.

The kits included essential items such as, sanitary pads, soap, shampoo, toothpaste and toilet tissues, as well as personal protection items such as, reusable masks, baby-safe antibacterial wipes and alcohol-based hand sanitiser.

Mayor Senanayake said the Government is doing its best to address the economic problems caused by Covid-19 and added that half of Colombo’s population lived in underserved areas while many have lost their jobs.

“We ask them to wear masks and wash hands, but most of the people in these areas do not have the means even to buy a bar of soap. When they get a few rupees, the women spend it on essential items to feed their children, rather than on personal hygiene. They neglect their needs and give priority to their families. Therefore, a hygiene pack is vital for their protection.

She commended this donation and request more packs to reach the vulnerable women population in Colombo,” the Mayor said.

Chief Medical Officer Colombo, Dr. Ruwan Wijayamuni said, “Women’s vulnerabilities become a secondary concern during a pandemic such as this, as priority is usually given to treat the sick and save lives.

From among the population of around 650,000 in the Colombo Municipality, nearly 325,000 belong to the low-income category, of which 50 percent are women.

Of the nearly 160,000 women from low income families, about 60 percent are of child-bearing age, and have an urgent need for hygiene packs”.

The hygiene kits were also distributed in quarantine centres in the Western, North, and North Central Provinces, as well as in Kalutara, Matugama, and the Katunayake Free Trade Zone.

Women receiving treatment for Covid-19 at several hospitals also received the packs.

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