Listening and Talking with Women on Health

Abstract

It is a hard reality that the social-cultural web has conditioned Indian women not to complain but to cope silently with their health problems and live with them. CHETNA team members exposed to this reality, by listening to voices of women. Using the traditional gathering Mela-Fair as a model CHETNA, has developed health education approaches to provide opportunity to women and adolescent girls to know about their body and diseases. Women's Health Fair, Adolescent Camp are the examples. Along with educational activities facility for diagnosis and treatment of gynaecological illnesses were provided in non-threatening environment. "The caring and support given during the fair has cured us. Can life be so relaxed where we get time to think and about our oneself?" is the feeling expressed by one of the women after the fair. We learnt that women's health issues need to communicate with an integrative, realistic holistic and gender sensitive approach.