“I was afraid and panicked when our houses were attacked,” said Ainura, a pregnant woman from Batken, a region in south-west Kyrgyzstan.

Following violent clashes between Kyrgyz and Tajik armed forces in April 2021, some 50,000 people in the Batken region were forced to abandon their villages and move to temporary camps set up by UNFPA’s partner, the Red Crescent Society in Kyrgyzstan.

“We couldn't take anything with us,” said Ainura. “Our houses were burned down. When we arrived at the camp, we had nothing.”

Pregnant women and children were especially vulnerable. They needed food, reproductive health services and psycho-social support.

Working in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and Social Development and the Red Crescent Society, UNFPA provided medical services and more than 3,000 dignity kits and reproductive health kits. Two medical teams worked in the affected villages and the temporary camps and local authorities provided free ultrasound scanning, basic lab analysis, check-ups, and maternal health services.

Ainura stayed in a temporary camp in Ak-Tatyr village. As she was pregnant, she was monitored by specialist doctors in the camp.

"UNFPA, having looked at all the needs, provided girls and women with the daily hygiene supplies they need, including special kits women can use for everyday life.”

By October 2021, the conflict was over and the villagers returned to their homes. Ainura expected to give birth to a child in December.