Our Outlook
Reflection
We found the process of this project to be very eye-opening! We're extremely grateful we had the pleasure of working with Dr. Roberts because she kept us organized and had a lot of great insight on Ugandan culture. It was initially intimidating getting involved in an already developed project with little knowledge of the subject, but Dr. Roberts held our hands through it all. Throughout the quarter, our group developed a passion for menstrual hygiene management in vulnerable populations. With time, we feel like we can make a big difference in educating communities about menstruation and break down cultural barriers and taboos that surround the topic.
Advice
Our biggest caution to future groups: don't bite off more than you can chew! When we initially began researching and learned about all the menstruation challenges Ugandan women face, we felt like we had to tackle it all in one quarter. Naturally, this was very overwhelming and we felt frantic and frustrated at times. However, we reminded ourselves that real, lasting change takes time and we could only focus on one piece of the puzzle​ this quarter, which is why our comic is designed to break the culture of silence that surrounds menstruation for school-age girls. We hope that future groups can focus on other issues, such as the lack of knowledge of menstruation and reproductive health, the stigma of inserting menstrual products in the vaginal canal, and the involvement of men in menstruation issues.
What to Avoid
It's important to avoid coming in to a project like this blind. By this, we mean you must do thorough research and use your resources! No one in our group had any personal connection to Uganda or the Ugandan culture, so we had to do a lot of reading, watching, and listening to get a feel for what Ugandan women experience during their menstrual cycles. Additionally, you must avoid being shy. We reached out to one of our friends who had manufactured and distributed menstrual kits in Kampala, Uganda to interview her about her experience. We weren't confident in our design abilities, so we also reached out to our friend in the Graphic Communications department to help bring our vision to life. There are always individuals who are willing and able to help out, but you must put yourself out there to find them.