Jelexy Alwinies Internship Testimonial May – August 2022

I am Jelexy, 22 years old and currently studying the last semester of International Health Sciences at the University of Applied Sciences Fulda in Germany. For our study program an internship is mandatory and while looking for one I got the recommendation to do my internship at the Global South Coalition for Dignified Menstruation (GSCDM) in Nepal by a fellow student, who was completing her internship at the organization at that time. Fast forward, I applied, had a very nice talk with Radha and Sapna and got accepted. During the last four months I completed a range of various tasks. First of all, there is the monthly meeting. The GSCDM is an NGO consisting of members from different countries, individuals and members of other organizations who are committed to change the narratives around Menstruation. Everyone is doing their part in their respective countries and the monthly meeting is being held to give current updates of the ongoing work or to get the help of other members in case someone is facing any challenges. It was very informative and interesting to attend these meetings and the highlight was that I even got the chance to host one of those meetings. It was a new experience for me but also a bit challenging as there were also members from countries which didn’t have a good internet connection. So sometimes when they spoke it was not really audible and it was difficult for me to follow and take notes for the Meeting Minutes. But that is part of this kind of work, and I highly appreciate the work being done by overcoming such hurdles. Other tasks I got to do were for example Translating documents into my native languages German and Tamil. As we work internationally it is important to make everything available in as many languages as possible, so that we can reach more people, especially those who are not fluent in English. Translating into Tamil was also a new challenge for me as I haven’t done it before, but I mastered it well and also had fun doing it. Then I got the opportunity to create the poster for my co-students as they were holding a presentation at a conference. Another important part of the work at an organization is the social media presence in order to create awareness and reach out to people. I gained also experience in this field as I was managing the Instagram account of us interns from Germany, created by my fellow students Clara and Mirabelle. On our account we were posting quotes, news, and information regarding our work at GSCDM and Dignified Menstruation itself. Lastly, I created a new educational video series called #Let#sTalkDignifiedMenstruation, which is all about topics related to menstruation. The series is published on the social media channels and YouTube and consists of several episodes, each having his own topic. For example, was the first episode about menstruation, what it is and how it happens. The second episode was about menopause and its symptoms, side effects and treatment. This series was created to enhance the knowledge regarding menstruation and co., so that dignified menstruation could be practiced effectively. There are many individuals who don’t know what menstruation or menopause is, especially men and boys, so that they are ignorant regarding the problems menstruators face. On the other side there are also many menstruators, especially young girls, who did not get a proper education about what happens with their bodies and how to manage it so that they face negative health consequences and other problems resulting from it. Most importantly, to evoke change, in my opinion, education is the most powerful tool and I hope to reach many people and give them the education they did not get. All in all, I can say I enjoyed my time as an Intern at the GSCDM and got also much to take away from my time there. What I liked most is that I always had someone to help me, be it Radha even with her full schedules or Sapna while managing everything else. They were always there for me whenever I needed them and guided me accordingly. I learned to take up responsibility, time management and how it is to work in a team. I could enhance my intercultural competences by getting to know different people from different countries and cultures. But the internship also helped me to shift my views and see things from other perspectives and increase my knowledge about menstruation, activism, gender equality and politics. There is a huge exchange of information and news in the WhatsApp group which is amazing as well. Furthermore, this internship helped me to somehow expand my social network as I got to know various people from different fields, who I may get into contact for future work. I am very glad I got the opportunity to work for GSCDM and wish everyone all the best for its future. I am sure Dignified Menstruation will grow into a big movement and leave a positive impact in this world where things like gender inequality still exists in the 21st century.

 

Mirabelle Böhm

From November 2021 to February 2022, I was granted the opportunity to do my obligatory internship at the Global South Coalition for Dignified Menstruation. Through my study course International Health Sciences, I gained some knowledge about Sexual and Reproductive Health, but never had the chance to learn in depth about Dignified Menstruation. During my internship, I had a range of different and exciting tasks, such as supporting the work around the International Dignified Menstruation Day. Tasks included the development of creative and informational resources to spread awareness on the day and the topic, furthermore to network with other organizations to invite them to contribute and celebrate the International Dignified Menstruation Day. Social media work and report writing were other tasks, that extended my skills set. With my colleague, a research project was started on menstrual discrimination and how influential menstrual health networks address it. This activity was challenging yet very valuable as I could learn about qualitative research methods and networking as we did interviews with key informants in the field. Overall, the internship was a great experience, I had the opportunity to learn first-hand about the importance of Dignified Menstruation and getting tasks that are very different in nature made it very beneficial for me. I only had the chance to do the internship remote, nonetheless the communication with the team was amazing.