Red Stories

Behind every workshop we conducted, every school we visited, and every community we engaged with, there was a story that stayed with us long after the session ended. Red Stories was born from those stories.

Our book Red Stories – Twelve Stories of Stigma, Silence & Denied Dignity is a collection inspired by the lived experiences, emotions, and conversations gathered through years of Humjoli Foundation’s work with thousands of women and girls across rural and urban settings.

Realities That Inspired The Book – Red Stories

During our work across communities, we have met girls who missed important examinations because they got their first period and were overwhelmed by fear and embarrassment.

We have met women who continue to spend several days every month in isolated period huts, despite the risks to their health, safety, and dignity.

We have met teenage girls who silently used the same sanitary pad for days because they feared being labelled “impure” or excluded from family and religious celebrations.

We have met women whose severe menstrual pain was dismissed as “normal” for years, only to discover much later that they were living with conditions such as endometriosis.

We have also met women who manage their periods using leaves, ash, sand, husk, or scraps of cloth because safe menstrual products remain inaccessible or unaffordable.

These are not isolated incidents. They are realities experienced by countless women and girls across our country.

Our book Red Stories transforms these lived experiences into twelve thought-provoking narratives that challenge myths, question long-held beliefs, and encourage conversations around menstrual health, dignity, equity, and compassion.