#alwaysstandupke

She Bleeds, She Lives

Every month, from the time a woman (for she is a woman now) hits puberty, to the time she gets to menopause, she will bleed for three to five days through her vagina. It is a natural thing. Every single month, every year after puberty and before menopause, she bleeds. Excluding the months she is pregnant. Or when she is using the kind of birth control that tampers with her menstrual cycle. Other…

There was an angry looking red gash on my underwear and I was pretty convinced I was dying. My mother, however, told my panicked 11 year old self that I had started my period, and then went back to reading the paper. It was that simple. I don’t remember ever having to be taught how to use a pad – my precocious self had been in enough classes where the teachers showed us that. What I do remember…

Small acts of kindness

You know the way when you are sick (even if it’s just a cold) you miss your mum? Anyone? Cmon I know I am not the only one who feels like that. Well this week I have been a bit under the weather and I have been reminiscing on many things. We all have childhood memories that have hang on for years. You could be seated in a meeting and you start smiling because of an odd funny memory. I have been…

Starting | by Veon Ngugi

No one ever spoke too loudly about it, unless they were speaking about it in code, then they giggled about it in huddles that were too huge to be considered intimate. When referred to in those huddles, the girls referred to it as ‘starting’.

The first day I heard about starting, was on a Tuesday buried in the pits of first term. Science textbooks and an adequate teacher had prepped me, but the…

Confidence: A superpower you need

Last month I spoke at a youth conference that had over 2000 young people in attendance. I was thrilled when I heard there would be breakout sessions dividing the youth into 3 groups as per their age. One of the reasons I was happy was because standing in front of 2000 people is a tad intimidating but we shall not focus on that reason. Let’s just say I was happy to speak to the group that had…