Aruna: Avidly Adventurous!

Girls  deserve the right to basic needs. The right to gradually be the directors of our lives as we keep maturing in every phase of life. She deserves the right to education, and experiencing a fun teenage life. This is not the case for this 13-year-old, whose life path has been altered by another human being. Transactional sex in exchange for a sanitary pad. This girl, at 13 is now forced to deal with pregnancy load, a misfortune that was unforeseen. At this age as a minor, her lack of commodity, forcing her to make uninformed choice should not have happened. Yet this is a case of a perpetuator, taking advantage of her vulnerability. She is now forced to deal with the burden of being a teenage mother. This can turn into a lifetime of traumatizing experience. This is inhumane. Our minor girls are suffering in the hands of such. Stop this cruelty today! Support without asking for sex as a trade in.

This is an issue that I cannot emphasize enough. Any girl or woman menstruating has the right to education, access to clean water and sanitation facilities. The right to non-discrimination, non-stigmatization from both male or female human being. Menstruation in itself is a natural bodily function and should not be treated like an ailment. Girls deserve support, cooperation and empathy during these periods for their smooth stay -both at home, school and any other avenue they may be experiencing this. I extend my gratitude to everyone of you who has been part of these girl’s smooth process during their period.                         

Whenever I think about women, I think about what I have been able to learn, go and grow through. To stare at my reflection in the mirror and clap for myself with pride. This is what I envision other women going through. Being content about their journey, their potential and position they hold in their households and the community. She knows she has to take care of herself, aid in fetching for her family, support her loved one and nurture her kids. This is not a responsibility to her as a woman, it is her joy and she owns it with happiness. I see you and I appreciate you woman. 

  Most of us will find it strange to find groups of girls, women in the presence of a male figure -educating them on menstrual hygiene. I mean what do men know about a girl’s natural bodily function right? Only girls should attend to their same gender, right? Well, when it comes to menstruation, it is becoming a norm, males are starting to join these agendas and breaking from the societal norms. They are steadfast on supporting girls, as emotional support during menstruation period is key. Having male figures fetch for pads, assist with clean water for sanitation and any other help we women may need-is what these male advocates are championing for. They do not want to be left out of the equation. This is so reassuring.

When I look into her eyes I see courage, determination, innocence to learn and the vulnerability to receive support for the betterment of her livelihood. Her school has rolled the ball and provided her with a space for her to set her foundation straight. The path she chooses to follow will or may determine the outcome of her decisions. I must admit that there is a profound strength in a girl, girls. Straight from the start if you equip her with the right information and mechanisms to reinforce her ambition, she will achieve them. Are we out there to uplift girls in our society? As I write this, I can feel that yes, we are. Your endless support is truly heartwarming. Together we raise decent girls. Let’s do this

  Have you ever been in those moments where you struggle with your inner child dilemmas? Those curiosity moments that get you reminiscing some of the episodes of your childhood when your parents had to use coded language when referring to sensitive topics that were not children friendly? Those were the days By the age of 6 to 7 years old, most children beginning to understand periods or developing curiosity around their body changes topic -puberty is crucial . This teachable moment is crucial to introduce menstruation as a topic of interest.   Having interacted with such children I can confidently state that early  learning about body literacy  and menstruation early beats some ignorance and reduces a lot of myths and misconception in that way dimming the light of stigmatization and discrimination. I will  continue to find ways of incorporating both girls and boys on menstruation topic, creatively setting up the opportunity for them to unlearn and relearn facts on the same.