{"id":13124,"date":"2020-03-09T15:12:12","date_gmt":"2020-03-09T19:12:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/?p=13124"},"modified":"2024-11-01T14:02:15","modified_gmt":"2024-11-01T18:02:15","slug":"period-poverty","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/period-poverty\/","title":{"rendered":"K Students Want to Help Women, End Period Poverty"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Nelly
Former visiting student Nelly Rupande co-authored a children’s book alongside five Kalamazoo College students. Let’s Talk About it, Period,<\/em> is designed to help general audiences understand period poverty and stigma.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A group of Kalamazoo College students has a story to tell this International Women\u2019s Day. It\u2019s a story Shukurani A. Nsengiyumva \u201920, Anne Kearney Patton \u201922, Juanita Ledesma \u201921, Kushi Matharu \u201922 and Catherine Dennis \u201922 created in the form of a children\u2019s book with former visiting student Nelly Rupande through Associate Professor of Psychology<\/a> Karyn Boatwright and her Feminist Psychology of Women class.<\/p>\n

The book, titled Let\u2019s Talk About It, Period,<\/em> depicts period poverty, referring to a woman\u2019s inadequate access to menstrual-hygiene products, along with period stigma directed toward the main character, a fourth-grade girl in Kenya experiencing her first period.<\/p>\n

The story is important because \u201cwe want to fight the stigma that exists around periods and menstruation, and share what happens when you shame someone for having something so natural,\u201d said Nsengiyumva, who supervised the project as a teacher’s assistant. She experienced period poverty herself during the early years of her period, only receiving pads when she went to boarding school. Otherwise, her mom couldn\u2019t afford them. She resettled in the U.S. as a Rwandan refugee in 2013 at age 15.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a topic not just for those who experience menstruation, but those who might enforce the stigma related to it,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n

Period poverty and stigma are issues in countries around the world. The group from Boatwright\u2019s class studied their effects this term through an eight-week syllabus developed by Rupande, who created the Binti Initiative.<\/p>\n

\"Catherine
Catherine Dennis<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Juanita
Juanita Ledesma<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Period
Shukurani Nsengiyumva<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Rupande emerged as the top female student in the Department of Sociology at the University of Nairobi in Kenya and subsequently was chosen to attend K. Her nonprofit organization seeks to provide dignity to girls and women through access to feminine-hygiene products, educating girls about menstruation, and dispelling myths and negative perceptions of menstrual cycles.<\/p>\n

Other topics in the syllabus included female circumcision and genital mutilation, sex education in Kenya, femicide, endometriosis and other period-related complications, and gender equality.<\/p>\n

\"Period
Kushi Matharu<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Period
Anne Kearney Patton<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The group, with all serving as co-authors, concluded its work by presenting the film Period<\/em>, a documentary on the stigma that surrounds menstruation in India.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen Dr. Boatwright reached out to me with the\u00a0opportunity to collaborate with the Feminist Psychology of women Class, I was thrilled,\u201d Rupande said. \u201cShe was my professor while I was at K and the very first person to show me around Kalamazoo. She is definitely someone who believes in me and I look up to her as a mentor.\u201d<\/p>\n

The book\u2019s resolution involves educating the characters, each with a role to play in recognizing period stigma and poverty, so readers can learn about their own responsibilities in dispelling myths, avoiding shaming and reversing negative perceptions. Characters include a father, a sister, a young boy and a teacher to reflect just a few of the book\u2019s target audiences.<\/p>\n

\"Lets\u201cSome people are approaching us saying they\u2019d love to buy it for their niece or their daughter, Nsengiyumva said. \u201cWe made it to look like a children\u2019s book so it\u2019s appealing to them, but adults can use it as well. We want to inform anyone who\u2019s responsible for fighting the stigma.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Binti Initiative hires women around the world to produce and sell feminine-hygiene products in their communities while making the sellers economically independent. That allows people such as Rupande and her associates to continue menstruation-education efforts by training women and girls to run them. The goal is to change perceptions, address health issues, and provide a forum for women and men.<\/p>\n

Nsengiyumva is hoping Let\u2019s Talk About It, Period<\/em> can eventually be a part of those education efforts and forums starting in Kenya with that country being just the beginning.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s not yet a set plan, but I think it would be nice to distribute not only in Kenya, but here,\u201d Nsengiyumva said.<\/p>\n

Rupande adds the Binti Initiative is working with primary and elementary schools in Kenya to have the book available in libraries and community-resource centers by June. For more information on the book and its availability, email Nsengiyumva at Shukurani.Nsengiyumva16@kzoo.edu<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A group of Kalamazoo College students has a story to tell this International Women\u2019s Day. It\u2019s a story Shukurani A. Nsengiyumva \u201920, Anne Kearney Patton \u201922, Juanita Ledesma \u201921, Kushi Matharu \u201922 and Catherine Dennis \u201922 created in the form of a children\u2019s book with former visiting student Nelly Rupande through Associate Professor of Psychology […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":147,"featured_media":13145,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[231],"tags":[39,60,173],"post_formats":[],"class_list":["post-13124","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-students","tag-faculty","tag-psychology","tag-women-gender-sexuality"],"yoast_head":"\r\nK Students Want to Help Women, End Period Poverty - News and Events<\/title>\r\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\""Let\u2019s Talk About It, Period," depicts period poverty, referring to a woman\u2019s inadequate access to menstrual-hygiene products, along with period stigma.\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\r\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/period-poverty\/\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"K Students Want to Help Women, End Period Poverty - 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aria-label=\"archive of category Students\" href=\"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/category\/students\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Students<\/a>","tags_info":"<a href=\"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/tag\/faculty\/\" rel=\"tag\">faculty<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/tag\/psychology\/\" rel=\"tag\">psychology<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/tag\/women-gender-sexuality\/\" rel=\"tag\">women gender & sexuality<\/a>","social_share_info":"<a data-share=\"facebook\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/period-poverty\/\" class=\"pl-facebook-share social-share-default pl-social-share\" target=\"_blank\"><i class=\"fab fa-facebook-f\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i><\/a><a data-share=\"twitter\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/share?url=https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/period-poverty\/\" class=\"pl-twiiter-share social-share-default pl-social-share\" target=\"_blank\"><i class=\"fab fa-twitter\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i><\/a><a data-share=\"linkedin\" href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/shareArticle?url=https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/period-poverty\/\" class=\"pl-linkedin-share social-share-default pl-social-share\" target=\"_blank\"><i class=\"fab fa-linkedin-in\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i><\/a>","wordExcerpt_info":"<figure id=\"attachment_13145\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-13145\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-13145 size-medium\" src=\"\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/files\/2020\/03\/Period-Poverty-Book-Nelly-Rupande-1-300x441.jpg\" alt=\"Nelly Rupande\" width=\"300\" height=\"441\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-13145\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Former visiting student Nelly Rupande co-authored a children’s book alongside five Kalamazoo College students. <em>Let’s Talk About it, Period,<\/em> is designed to help general audiences understand period poverty and stigma.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>A group of Kalamazoo College students has a story to tell this International Women\u2019s Day. It\u2019s a story Shukurani A. Nsengiyumva \u201920, Anne Kearney Patton \u201922, Juanita Ledesma \u201921, Kushi Matharu \u201922 and Catherine Dennis \u201922 created in the form of a children\u2019s book with former visiting student Nelly Rupande through Associate Professor of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/programs\/psychology\/\">Psychology<\/a> Karyn Boatwright and her Feminist Psychology of Women class.<\/p>\n<p>The book, titled <em>Let\u2019s Talk About It, Period,<\/em> depicts period poverty, referring to a woman\u2019s inadequate access to menstrual-hygiene products, along with period stigma directed toward the main character, a fourth-grade girl in Kenya experiencing her first period.<\/p>\n<p>The story is important because \u201cwe want to fight the stigma that exists around periods and menstruation, and share what happens when you shame someone for having something so natural,\u201d said Nsengiyumva, who supervised the project as a teacher’s assistant. She experienced period poverty herself during the early years of her period, only receiving pads when she went to boarding school. Otherwise, her mom couldn\u2019t afford them. She resettled in the U.S. as a Rwandan refugee in 2013 at age 15.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s a topic not just for those who experience menstruation, but those who might enforce the stigma related to it,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n<p>Period poverty and stigma are issues in countries around the world. The group from Boatwright\u2019s class studied their effects this term through an eight-week syllabus developed by Rupande, who created the Binti Initiative.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_13128\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-13128\" style=\"width: 102px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-13128 size-thumbnail\" src=\"\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/files\/2020\/03\/Period-Poverty-Book-Co-Author-Catherine-Dennis-2-102x150.jpg\" alt=\"Catherine Dennis\" width=\"102\" height=\"150\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-13128\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Catherine Dennis<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_13132\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-13132\" style=\"width: 104px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-13132 size-thumbnail\" src=\"\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/files\/2020\/03\/Period-Poverty-Book-Co-Author-Juanita-Ledesma-104x150.jpg\" alt=\"Juanita Ledesma\" width=\"104\" height=\"150\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-13132\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Juanita Ledesma<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_13129\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-13129\" style=\"width: 99px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-thumbnail wp-image-13129\" src=\"\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/files\/2020\/03\/Period-Poverty-Book-Co-Author-Shukurati-Nsengiyumva-99x150.jpg\" alt=\"Period Poverty Book Co-Author Shukurati Nsengiyumva\" width=\"99\" height=\"150\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-13129\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Shukurani Nsengiyumva<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Rupande emerged as the top female student in the Department of Sociology at the University of Nairobi in Kenya and subsequently was chosen to attend K. Her nonprofit organization seeks to provide dignity to girls and women through access to feminine-hygiene products, educating girls about menstruation, and dispelling myths and negative perceptions of menstrual cycles.<\/p>\n<p>Other topics in the syllabus included female circumcision and genital mutilation, sex education in Kenya, femicide, endometriosis and other period-related complications, and gender equality.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_13134\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-13134\" style=\"width: 110px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-thumbnail wp-image-13134\" src=\"\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/files\/2020\/03\/Period-Poverty-Book-Co-Author-Kushi-Hashpreet-110x150.jpg\" alt=\"Period Poverty Book Co-Author Kushi Hashpreet\" width=\"110\" height=\"150\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-13134\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Kushi Matharu<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_13131\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-13131\" style=\"width: 101px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-thumbnail wp-image-13131\" src=\"\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/files\/2020\/03\/Period-Poverty-Book-Co-Author-Anne-Kearney-Patton-101x150.jpg\" alt=\"Period Poverty Book Co-Author Anne Kearney Patton\" width=\"101\" height=\"150\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-13131\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Anne Kearney Patton<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The group, with all serving as co-authors, concluded its work by presenting the film <em>Period<\/em>, a documentary on the stigma that surrounds menstruation in India.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen Dr. Boatwright reached out to me with the\u00a0opportunity to collaborate with the Feminist Psychology of women Class, I was thrilled,\u201d Rupande said. \u201cShe was my professor while I was at K and the very first person to show me around Kalamazoo. She is definitely someone who believes in me and I look up to her as a mentor.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The book\u2019s resolution involves educating the characters, each with a role to play in recognizing period stigma and poverty, so readers can learn about their own responsibilities in dispelling myths, avoiding shaming and reversing negative perceptions. Characters include a father, a sister, a young boy and a teacher to reflect just a few of the book\u2019s target audiences.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignright size-large wp-image-13136\" src=\"\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/files\/2020\/03\/Lets-Talk-About-it-Period-Book-Cover-600x310.jpg\" alt=\"Lets Talk About it Period Poverty Book Cover\" width=\"584\" height=\"302\" \/>\u201cSome people are approaching us saying they\u2019d love to buy it for their niece or their daughter, Nsengiyumva said. \u201cWe made it to look like a children\u2019s book so it\u2019s appealing to them, but adults can use it as well. We want to inform anyone who\u2019s responsible for fighting the stigma.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The Binti Initiative hires women around the world to produce and sell feminine-hygiene products in their communities while making the sellers economically independent. That allows people such as Rupande and her associates to continue menstruation-education efforts by training women and girls to run them. The goal is to change perceptions, address health issues, and provide a forum for women and men.<\/p>\n<p>Nsengiyumva is hoping <em>Let\u2019s Talk About It, Period<\/em> can eventually be a part of those education efforts and forums starting in Kenya with that country being just the beginning.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere\u2019s not yet a set plan, but I think it would be nice to distribute not only in Kenya, but here,\u201d Nsengiyumva said.<\/p>\n<p>Rupande adds the Binti Initiative is working with primary and elementary schools in Kenya to have the book available in libraries and community-resource centers by June. For more information on the book and its availability, email Nsengiyumva at <a href=\"mailto:Shukurani.Nsengiyumva16@kzoo.edu\">Shukurani.Nsengiyumva16@kzoo.edu<\/a>.<\/p>\n","comment_info":"No Comments","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13124","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/147"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13124"}],"version-history":[{"count":31,"href":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13124\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":23579,"href":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13124\/revisions\/23579"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13145"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13124"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13124"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13124"},{"taxonomy":"post_format","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/post_formats?post=13124"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}