Hear From the Founders.
Prerna
Like many other children of South Asian descent, I did not have the ‘birds and bees’ talk with my parents. My mom often avoided discussing sexual health because she thought I was not going to hit puberty anytime soon. Her assumptions were based solely on her own experiences and what her mother had told her, as there were no other means of sex education available. At nine, I had my first period with no understanding of what was happening since I hadn't yet taken the sexual education classes offered in school. Confused, I shared the news with my mother, who seemed worried when I informed her. Over the following week, I discreetly managed my period, thinking it was a one-time occurrence. Once I finished my period, I thought that it was over with.
A few months later, I finally decided to tell my mom about my period. She was puzzled as to why I had gotten it at such a 'young age,' having always believed that girls typically start their periods around thirteen. This experience opened my eyes to the significant lack of sexual health education in our community. I realized that many parents, like mine, were ill-equipped to discuss these topics with their children due to their own limited knowledge and cultural norms that discouraged open conversations about sex and puberty. Determined to make a difference, my best friend Shafaq and I chose to focus our grade 9 social fair project on the sexual health of South Asian immigrant women. This project ignited a passion within us, leading to the creation of the Khairiyat Women's Health Equity Network. Khairiyat Women’s Health Equity Network aims to bridge the knowledge gap and empower women to better understand their bodies and health. By promoting open dialogue and education, we hope to create a more informed and supportive environment for future generations.
Shafaq
I was pretty fortunate about how my family views different aspects of health that others fail to discuss. By the time I was eight, I had a basic understanding of the fact that I was going to get my periods sometime over the next few years. Though I did have the basics, there wasn’t much of an open discussion around me and if there were opportunities for it, I was all the more hesitant to engage in them. This was due to the lack of answers that I was getting when my questions were being asked. It wasn’t entirely on my parents since they lacked the comfort and in-depth understanding of the topic because of the extent of stigma in discussing such topics. It came down to a systemic dysfunction in our community. When I was in the middle of grade four (nine years old), I got my period and I thought I was dying. My first period was shortly followed be a fervent visit to our family doctor to make sure everything was okay as my own mother had not gotten hers until she was in the 10th grade. Though I was free to talk to my parents and to the rest of my family, I believed that I shouldn’t. Since grade 5 we have not had a sex education class and no discussion regarding sexual assault topics, another issue that runs rampant in South Asian Communities. I feel that it’s important to educate the youth about the topic so they may understand and know about it; not only because it concerns there bodies but because of the extensive social factors that influence our health care systems. What is even more important is that they learn from a reliable source rather than other people and the internet. It’s almost like schools try to teach sexual education as Dolores Umbridge taught Defence Against the Dark Arts (“Why would you need to know about sex? If you aren’t having it, there will be no need for protection.”)
Throughout my years in school, I have had opportunities to have conversations with my friends and close mentors who are South Asian Women. The power of having those discussions in changing my perspective on sexual and reproductive health allowed me to understand the importance of a network of Women and professionals helping you understand your body as well as the social implications involved. By discussing our health, not only can we advocate for ourselves, our sisters and our children, but we can make sure we create the safe space for the discussions needed to help prevent the prominence of issues regarding not only sexual and reproductive health in a health related context but also help prevent and address the high rates of sexual assault and abuse in our communities. Determined by our experiences, Prerna and I were determined to use a simple project in ninth grade to develop into Khairiyat Women’s Health Equity Network.