How 18-year-old Lusha Jetley’s The Wonder Woman Project won high praise from UNESCO and the Indian president
As part of the Wonder Woman Project, Lusha Jetley, a student of Sanskriti School, New Delhi and her team have been able to educate and inform women about safe menstrual hygiene practices.
Leading by example is the best way to drive change. That is what Lusha Jetley set out to do. When she was in Grade XI, she had the opportunity to coordinate a volunteer programme at a women’s shelter where she learnt first-hand about the various challenges women face including menstrual health. A simple revelation changed her outlook on life and gave birth to the The Wonder Woman project.
The project is a part of the Worldview Education’s #Act2Impact initiative. Worldview Education is a person-centric experiential learning platform for middle and high school students, which aims to engage them in pressing global issues which also have local relevance.
Lusha decided to name the project after the DC Comics American superhero Wonder Woman. “I wanted to choose a name that rightfully encapsulated the strength and courage I witnessed among the women I worked with. They chose to open themselves to new knowledge and information, and even encourage others around them to do so. For them to step out of their comfort zone was nothing short of wondrous, and something that deserved to be celebrated.”
Women and menstrual health - what is lacking?
Lusha started the project in 2018 and till date, she and her team have been able to reach out to 700 women in Delhi, Arunachal Pradesh, and Maharashtra. The states and shelters were selected on the basis of their outreach and accessibility.
Lusha believes two challenges impact the way women think about the whole issue of menstruation and the taboo surrounding it even today.
She explains: “Those that we are intuitively aware of but dismiss, and those that we haven't paid enough attention to, to fully understand. For example, not knowing the biology involved in menstruation is an easy enough challenge to overcome. The real challenge begins when this information has to be considered in the context of cultural beliefs, and the women are confronted with a dilemma to either neglect the wisdom of their elders or dismiss scientific reality. However, I think it is important to note that the goal of our project is not to make that choice for them. We are here to encourage agency.”
The solution, Lusha feels, is easy and simple when it comes to resolving healthcare problems with women. What is really a roadblock is the general lack of institutional will to pursue it. “Promoting basic sex education, increasing access to gynaecologists - we are capable of implementing these even without non-governmental support. But the harsh reality is that women's healthcare isn't a priority for India just yet,” she tells HerStory.
The Wonder Woman Project
The Wonder Woman Project aims to promote safe menstrual hygiene practices among women, especially among the homeless. Many of these women are survivors of abuse, suffering from mental illness or facing acute socio economic crises.
“I was motivated to take up the issue due to the lack of institutional support that exists for promoting safer reproductive health in India. From insufficient education to unnecessary budget cuts, there are several facts impeding women from accessing important resources that can help them understand such an important yet ignored issue.”
The short-term goal of the Wonder Woman Project is to improve accessibility to resources on a greater scale and furthering outreach. But Lusha’s long term goal “is to pursue and realise an organic advocacy for one another among the women I work with, stemming from a place of mutual respect and support. I believe this is the most realistic way to implement a sustainable model of intervention”.
Return on investment
As of now the project has successfully covered three Indian states, 15 shelters and the village of Ziro in Arunachal Pradesh. “This led to our efforts being recognised by the UNESCO and the President of India.” The project also received a letter of appreciation from the Office of the President of India. The Wonder Woman Project has also won the Outstanding Project Award at the HMUN Impact Initiative.
That’s not all. The project has also successfully assisted over 200 women with severe reproductive issues. “Our crowdfunding campaign enabled us to donate reusable sanitary napkins which last four years to over 500 women, and on average, we’ve managed to maintain a 75 to 90 percent information retention rate among the women we work with,” she adds.
Managing her academics along with a social enterprise has definitely not been easy. She gets by with a lot of support from her family, especially her father. She manages both by managing her time efficiently and prioritising. It’s difficult, she agrees, but says she wouldn’t have it any other way.
I'm very grateful to have learned to do this at a young age.