CPI Helps Flood-Affected Women and Girls in Kayin State Stay Healthy and Safe

​Many thousands of people in Kayin State, Myanmar, continue to be affected by severe flooding caused by heavy monsoon rains. The floods have displaced many families from their homes and thousands have sought shelter in flood relief camps. For women and girls, displacement often makes it more difficult to access key services such as sexual and reproductive health care and can place them at higher risk of gender-based violence.

On August 22, 2018, Community Partners International (CPI) joined with the Ministry of Health and Sports Maternal and Reproductive Health Department, the Kayin State Public Health Department and Marie Stopes International to visit four flood relief camps around Hpa-An township and meet with displaced women and girls of reproductive age. These camps house nearly 100 households and a total population of over 3,700 people. With many of the roads in the area made impassable due to flooding, the team had to travel by boat to reach the affected communities.

The team organized sessions to raise awareness and distribute information materials about sexual and reproductive health and gender-based violence. They provided details of the nearest facilities where camp residents can access family planning services. They also provided information on where they can access medical services in case of gender-based violence, including emergency contraception, testing and treatment for sexually transmitted infections, and post-exposure prophylaxis for potential exposure to HIV.

A total of 367 women and girls attended the sessions.
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This action was supported under UNFPA Myanmar’s Women and Girls First Initiative and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation’s Primary Health Care Project.