Virtual Session with Community Leaders in Kamber-Shahdadkot
On the morning of January 11, we had our first-ever online menstrual awareness workshop with rural community activists. We were joined by 13 women community leaders from the district of Kamber-Shahdadkot to discuss menstrual difficulties, dispel myths and misinformation, and eliminate stigma and shame around the subject.
The individuals from the rural area were enthusiastic to speak up and share personal stories and traditions that they had grown up hearing. We would like to extend our gratitude to Sindh Rural Support Organization and SUCCESS Programme for allowing us to meet their trained community leaders virtually and have a healthy discourse on menstruation in the rural setting.
Ms. Anjum Malik, COMS Officer, Rural Support Programmes Network as well as the staff from the SRSO, were on hand to assist us. We started the conversation by imagining a little girl going through her menarche. We sought to create a pleasant environment with engaging activities such as personal narratives, collaborative storytelling, and a technology-driven curriculum to discuss the basics of menstruation.
During the conversation, some of the difficulties that teenage girls experience were highlighted. The women from rural communities also mentioned the specific challenges that their girls have to go through, such as having to skip school during periods.
We wanted to learn about rural girls' perspectives on menstruation, so we asked community leaders a few questions about the periods and associated myths. The community leaders discussed some of the myths they believe, such as not being allowed to take a shower, having to skip school, and not being allowed to eat fish during the menstrual cycle.
Then, with the help of our technology-driven curriculum - Raaji animated series and AI Chatbot, we were able to increase the rural womens’ engagement and attention.
Later on, the rural participants became more vocal in discussing their issues and practices, and they were thrilled to receive responses from Raaji. They were motivated and ready to convey this message in their community gatherings so that people would understand that periods are not a cause of shame, but rather a natural part of life.
All the participants agreed to deliver menstrual education to the rural girls and women, as they saw it as valuable and impactful. They also stated that they would talk about menstruation with the young girls in their communities so that they would not be afraid of their first period.
It was a great moment to see such energetic and strong rural women, and this digital session made us realize that we could do more of these remote workshops in the future.
