Many Hands, One Mission: Protecting Women and Girls amid the Floods

When monsoon floods hit communities across Mon, Kayin and Bago-East, the first thing for women and girls to vanish was the sense of security and dignity. Homes were damaged, families uprooted, and the most basic lifelines—safe childbirth, access to health care and protection from violence—were suddenly out of reach. “I didn’t know how I would manage health care for my pregnancy,” said Aye, an expectant mother from Bago-East. “The clinic made it possible for me to get the information and services I needed.” Her words capture the sudden loss of safety women and girls face in emergencies—when health care and protection vanish just as needs intensify.

As rain turned roads into rivers, access to essential Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH) and GBV protection services collapsed. Landslides and debris blocked routes to maternity waiting homes. Pregnant women struggled to reach care; adolescent girls and women lost privacy, safety, and basic hygiene amid crowded temporary shelters; and the heightened risks of GBV shadowed families already coping with loss.

In close collaboration with community volunteers and local partners, UNFPA-supported mobile clinics go where people in need are, by truck where possible, and by boat or makeshift rafts when roads are not accessible. The mobile health team provides antenatal check-ups, emergency obstetric referrals, newborn care, and family planning counselling, while gender-based violence responders provide psychological first aid, information on services, and safe referrals.

Clean Delivery Kits were distributed to support safe births even in flooded conditions. Dignity Kits—containing essential hygiene items—restored comfort and privacy for women and girls. “We had to navigate around fallen trees and deep water,” recalled Khin, a local volunteer. “It was heartbreaking to see so many women in need, but the team kept going to support them as much as we could.”

For women like Aye, timely antenatal care brought immediate reassurance. For others, continued access to family planning offered a sense of control in uncertainty. “Accessing contraceptives during such a crisis gives women like us control over our bodies and rights,” shared Khin from Kayin State. The clinics became more than service points—they were steady, trusted spaces where fears were heard and needs were met.

For girls receiving Dignity Kits in affected communities, the impact was visible. “Receiving this kit makes me feel valued and cared for,” said Nanda. Her friend May added, “Having these personal hygiene items helps me feel like I can still be myself, even during these hard times.” In shelters and flooded hamlets, these practical items rebuilt confidence, privacy, and routine.

Health workers and volunteers did more than deliver services; they knit together a network of care. They listened, reassured, and connected the affected communities to what they needed next—whether a safe referral for a high-risk pregnancy or safe support for a GBV survivor. With local partners leading the way, families began to steady themselves, making informed health decisions and reclaiming a sense of safety and dignity.

As the waters gradually receded, what remained were stories of courage: a midwife providing antenatal care for a mother at a temporary shelter; community volunteers crossing the strong waterway to reach the affected community; an adolescent girl standing in the water with a smile after receiving the essentials that restore dignity. The response was a testament to what communities can achieve when supported with the right services at the right time.

Beyond the numbers, what remains is resilience: communities supported not only to survive, but to regain dignity and choice in the hardest of times. This life-saving response—delivering sexual and reproductive health care, gender-based violence prevention and response, Clean Delivery Kits and Dignity Kits in partnership with local partners—was made possible by the generous support of the Governments of Australia, Canada, Switzerland and the European Union and Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF).

*This story was originally published on the UNFPA Myanmar website.