Adah
Though Adah was really scared when she first started getting her period, she no longer feels held back as a girl.
Adah was really scared when she first started getting her period.
She thought that something was wrong with her, or that she was cursed. These feelings intensified in the months that followed, when her mother routinely told her to stay in her room on her period days. She wasn’t allowed to touch anything or anyone in the family, or go to school. She began to dread the monthly process.
While Adah had access to sanitary pads, the superstition that snakes crawling over used pads would prevent pregnancy, terrified her. Since all the women surrounding her bought into this belief, for months, she endured feeling isolated, and unclean. She wished she could be a boy, so she didn’t have to miss out on learning.
She was so thankful for the VOICE 4 Girls camps where she learned that menstruation is natural, normal, and that she shouldn’t feel ashamed or afraid of it. She learned the importance of taking care of your body and using sanitary pads during periods. VOICE also offered a safe space for challenging old superstitions.
Having told her mother what she learned, Adah now goes to school while on her period, and no longer feels held back as a girl.
This story is real. In accordance with Indian and Scottish regulations and recommendations, names and/or photos have been changed to protect identity and to respect confidentiality.
