The Search Is Over-- Lets Talk About Puberty!

Its been a very long time since I have mentioned volunteering, and I am elated to say that I am now working on a project that could not be more perfect for my experience, skills, interests, and schedule. But before I get into it, let me rant for just a minute about the ludicrous process of finding a position/project. 

When it became clear that the organizations affiliated with CIEE were not going to work with my busy class schedule, I decided to look elsewhere on my own. So, the search began. I met with a doctor originally from Hyderabad who is now working at the VA hospital in Atlanta. A dear professor at Emory put me in touch with him while he was visiting India, and we got together over coffee. Our little meeting involved some great conversation about comparing American and Indian culture and their perspective medical systems. We left the morning equally fond of each other, and he put me in contact with a friend of his who runs an NGO working in health education and promotion in Hyderabad. I spoke with this director on the phone, and he invited me to one of his organization's upcoming events. But he was pretty curt and difficult to understand over the phone, and we had a serious of miscommunications that left us both frustrated. I finally got the correct time and place and set out alone to get across the city to said event, just as Hyderabad was hit with its worst monsoon of the season. I stood at the bus stop waiting to switch to a rickshaw-- my legs wading in 8 inches of flowing water, clothes completely soaked, already 30 minutes behind schedule, and still unclear where I was going. I found a rickshaw and got pretty close to where I thought this event might be, but when I called to explain my tardiness and ask for more directions, the man was so unhelpful and unfriendly that I just gave up. I decided that if he couldn't even help me out a little, I was not going to put any more energy into helping him. I was lost and alone and exhausted and just so so wet.. it wasn't meant to be. So, I met up with some friends who were at a coffee shop halfway between me and home. My search was back at square one. 

At this point, my mom suggested that I visit the Rotary Club of Hyderabad to find out if they knew of any projects or organizations that I could work with this semester. So, the weekend that Meghana was in town, I went to one of the nicest hotels in the city and attended the weekly Rotary Club meeting with some of Hyderabad's most philanthropic intellectuals and professionals. They were very enthused to have me as a visitor, and even asked me to give an impromptu speech behind a podium. Club photographer snapping away, I told them about myself, my semester in India, and my desire to give back to Hyderabad, and thanked them for welcoming me. The guest speaker that week spoke about the epidemiology of cancer and why certain cancers increase and decrease in prevalence as a region develops-- so fascinating to me. I met a very nice couple that was eager to help my search along. That Sunday, I navigated the city alone again to attend a meeting in their home to plan Hyderabad's chapter of India's annunal "Joy of Giving Week". Because of his role in this event, the husband knows about every NGO in this city. And, his wife is a doctor and one of the few people in India who has known Emory. They gave me some very useful information, including the name of a group called "Youth For Seva" (Youth For Service) that mobilizes young people volunteering in the fields of education, health and environment. 

I immediately contacted their health coordinator and met him for coffee that week. This little coffee date was much more of an interview than I anticipated, but I was quick on my feet-- I told him about the Predictive Health initiative at Emory and my current studies in anthropology and Ayurveda and my work in informal education at Camp Moshava and my volunteer work this past summer with Yachad's Ramp it Up! PHEW.. we both had so much to say! He told me about a project that he thought might be a good fit and gave me the information to meet the team that Thursday at the mall food court. That meeting turned out to be one of the greatest hours of my time in India! 

I am now working with the health sector of Youth For Seva on a project that does health education and hygiene promotion for pubescent girls from the slums. First, some context-- In India, menstruation is seen as impure. It is not discussed openly, so girls often do not understand what is happening to their body. In addition, there are many taboos and superstitions associated with menstruation that result in girls not bathing, being excluded from religious rituals, improperly cleaning their cloths, burning their pads, and missing class. The associations of impurity can get in the way of hygiene and lead to an unnecessary prevalence of infection. Also, most girls do not go to school during their period because they do not have a way to change or clean their reusable cloth at school. Since they are missing one week out of every month, many girls soon drop out of school all together. 

My group goes to government schools and meets with girls around ages 11-15. The day is started with an activity to get the girls comfortable with this topic. Then, we talk to each girl individually to find out if she has her period, her sanitation habits, her school attendance, and her thoughts, beliefs, and experiences regarding menstruation and associated taboos. After this data is collected, the team gives a presentation to educate the girls on the biology behind menstruation, assuring them that it is normal, healthy, necessary to life, and in no way impure. We teach the girls sanitary ways to clean their reusable clothes and encourage the more hygienic and convenient disposable sanitary napkin. Since the girls are just now warming up, they have an opportunity to get their questions and concerns addressed. In the end, we leave them with three months worth of free sanitary products for the girls.  

All of this is done in one event called "awareness talks" that we do at different government schools across the city. We also have "gynecological camps," where gynecologists offer to see girls that need doctor consultations free of charge. Three months after doing an awareness talk (and gynecological camp, if necessary), we return to the school to collect data on any changes in the last three months. At this point, we provide a partial stipend to continue the purchasing of sanitary products. It is well known that an individual will be more likely to value and utilize a product if they are contributing to its purchase, so girls must start partially paying for the products after the three month period.  Teachers are also engaged in this program, as it is their job to insure that trash cans are in the bathrooms, pads are available to girls that need them, and the school atmosphere is a open, comfortable, and encouraging place for girls, even when menstruating. 

The group of about a dozen young women meet in the mall eatery every Thursday. We start the meeting reading and discussing an article that somehow relates to women's empowerment in India. Then, we discuss the past week's work and plan for the upcoming week. We are currently trying to find a pad company that will sponsor our project and provide free pads, or at least wholesale prices. Also, a team member just translated this video about the biology of menstruation from English to Telugu so that it can be used in the awareness talk. I have really enjoyed these meetings, and the training session I attended for all new Youth For Seva volunteers. At this past week's meeting, I told the table full of well-educated women what a tampon was, showed them two different kinds, and explained how they work. The concept of tampons just doesn't exist in India and no one knows about them-- so interesting! As much as I enjoy these meetings, I am bummed to have not actually attended a government school yet because of my recent travels and the shut down of government schools by the Telegana Separatist Movement agitation. I still feel very much a part of the project and am eager to get even more involved. Our project leader just met with an American women who is doing similar work in Africa and Nepal, and happens to do her fundraising in Atlanta. I am thinking that I might be able to help her when I get back next semester or copy her model to raise funds for the YFS project. Its amazing, but a month's worth of sanitation products for one woman cost around 25 rupees.. exactly 50 cents. (Her project is called "50 Cents. Period." if you want to look it up!)

I recently ran into an interesting moral dilemma of sorts regarding my work with this project. The video that they chose to translate is a Disney short film made in the 1940s. It has great simple explanations of the biology of puberty and menstruation. But it also perpetuates very stereotypical gender norms, subtly implying that girls are just delicate little things, who should look pretty, play with dolls, be attracted to men, etc. At one point, they say "you can go about your every day activities" and it shows a woman cleaning the house. I cringed. And when I showed the other two Americans in my home stay, they agreed that I should say something. I am here with a unique perspective, and that is worthless if I squash it. But, I felt conflicted because India's view of menstruation (and maybe gender roles) is behind that of the US, so this video may be more appropriate in these contexts than it would be in the States right now. And, the group already put a lot of hard work into translating the script and arranging a voice over. Plus, I am the group newbie, so its a little gutsy for me to question the moves of the team. After some internal dialogue, I decided to send the project leader an email voicing my thoughts and concerns. I said that we should still use the video, but I offered to find an article about how children's movies often promote certain gender norms or heteronormativity. At least that way, our group can learn more about the topic.

I am still nervously waiting for a response. So, my classes may not be very thought provoking or progressive, but I have definitely found another way challenge myself and contribute to enlightening thought! Honestly, the search for a volunteer position gave me invaluable networking and interviewing experience and definitely tested my determination and persistence. So, this is just a win-win-win-win-win situation for me, Youth For Seva, and underprivileged girls in Hyderabad.