US Chargé d'Affaires Gerald Whitman joined Kirsty Sword Gusmão--First Lady of Timor-Leste First Lady and director of the Alola Foundation, a local NGO--for the first delivery of USAID-funded washable, reusable feminine hygiene kits to 1,500 women at a camp for internally displaced persons in Dili. The kits, called Pakote Pensu (sanitary napkin packet), were designed by Alola Foundation staff and include underwear, toweling napkins, and detergent. The items are distributed in a small bucket and are intended to provide a more sustainable and environmentally friendly means for women who live in the camps to manage their monthly menstruation.

A rapid assessment by the Alola Foundation in the larger camps helped evaluate the specific issues, including water supply, rubbish disposal, and toilet and washing facilities. After talking to the residents,

The Alola Foundation project is one of many activities funded by USAID to respond to the humanitarian needs of people displaced by the disturbances in May and June. Through its partners and special grants from its Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance, USAID is working to improve the health of the people of Timor-Leste, particularly women and children.

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