Virtual Listening Party on Menstrual Disorders
While listening parties with our audio menstrual health content are progressing and spreading at speed offline in rural Sindh, the digital inclusion and learning from Raaji Rooms is allowing them to happen online as well.
Our first Virtual Listening Party was centered on Menstrual Problems as it has been one of those subjects that we have come across in each and every one of our focus groups, menstrual interventions and workshops. With the pandemic stress and the lack of resources available to manage menstruation with dignity, there has been a steady rise of menstrual disorders and we wanted to address them by designing content in Sindhi around it and helping our audience listen to some of the most common problems. The feedback and feelings from rural women about these menstrual disorders would also form much of our content in the future.
This digital Listening Party was led by our Rural Innovation Specialist - Shaiwana Pathan and attended by seven participants including community leaders and Raaji Champions.
First and foremost, we greeted all of the attendees and highlighted the importance of addressing menstrual problems. Following that, we discussed what a menstruation problem is and how significant it is to have a normal menstrual cycle. Then, we touched the basics of following menstrual problems/disorders and tried to explain its symptoms and severity in the simplest possible way:
Heavy Menstrual Bleeding
Amenorrhea
Oligomenorrhea
Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)
Premenstrual-dysphoric-disorder (PMDD)
Endometriosis
Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)
Nevertheless, the topics were new for the participants yet they became interested in learning more about menstruation. We also requested them to provide feedback at the end of the session, and they did so by asking some questions and sharing their opinion.
Our goal is to continue training these participants virtually so that they can host and continue listening parties in their communities on a variety of menstruation-related issues. We'll have our second menstruation content audio ready to share with these leaders and Raaji Champions in the coming days. We desire and strongly hope making menstrual audio accessible to the girls and women of rural Sindh.