“Coming of age” is an exciting time in one’s life. However, it can also be nerve wrecking. As a result, a person goes through major physical & emotional changes. For a girl, menstruation is the entrance into womanhood. So, to celebrate womanhood, Daastan and Raaji have joined hands. On this collaborative venture, we bring to you #MyPeriodStory writing contest.
What is Raaji?
Saba Khalid is the founder and CEO of Aurat Raaj, the company behind Raaji. Raaji is a platform that aims to change the narrative around menstruation in Pakistan. There is a dire need of reliable menstrual education in Pakistan. Therefore, it’s Saba’s wish to educate young girls about menstruation. She wants to help them navigate smoothly through this aspect of their lives.
“There’s a lot of shaming that happens. Girls at that age don’t understand periods. Therefore, they kind of associate promiscuity with it. Girls really do that because they don’t understand that it’s a normal biological process.” – Sidra Khalid
In order to remove the stigma around periods, Saba came up with Raaji chatbot. Through the chatbot, she organises educational workshops in schools. The purpose of these workshops is to teach young girls about menstruation. And also to make them comfortable with it.
#MyPeriodStory – Need of the Hour
The talk of menstruation is a taboo in many cultures. Unfortunately, the South-Asian society is one of them. According to a UNICEF Survey, half of Pakistani women have no menstrual knowledge. Hence, in this collaboration we want to highlight the misconceptions and concerns about Periods.
#MyPeriodStory Contest Rules
We are taking in period stories revolving around the challenges, effects, limitations, problems and hurdles of menstruation. So if you want to be a part of #MyPeriodStory, send in your entry. The rules are as follows:
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Write a fictional or real story
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Write in English or Urdu
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Work around 1500 words
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Do not use hate speech or foul language
The contest will be live starting from 8th February. The deadline for submissions is 28th February.
Winners get Prizes!
Prizes are always exciting! For the winners of the contest, Daastan has exciting news. We will be giving away:
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1st Prize: 5000 pkr
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2nd Prize: Gift hamper
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3rd Prize: Gift hamper
Also the Top 10 stories will be published in an eBook on Qissa! Moreover, Daastan will provide contestants with free:
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Author membership worth 5000 pkr
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Printed copy of Anthology
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Bookmarks, Stickers, Books and Journals
So what are you waiting for! Be the first one to enter and win exciting prizes. Submit your story here!
this is my first write & my first experience
oh god finally posted my first story, buzzing with excitement.
Hello! this is my first experience to share my story. Thank you for giving us opportunity.