From left: Sunila Shakya, MBBS, MD, Archana Amatya, MD, MPH, MBA, and Rachel Vreeman, MD, MS
International Women’s Day, celebrated each year on March 8, is a global celebration of women’s achievements—and a clarion call to advance women’s equality. As such, it holds a special place in our hearts at the Arnhold Institute for Global Health.
This year’s theme is #EmbraceEquity. While there are plenty of obstacles to achieving gender equity here in the United States, global settings have other complex social, political and economic barriers.
With AMPATH Nepal we are co-hosting an event spotlighting issues around menstrual stigma and the ways in which that impacts girls’ school attendance in Nepal. This ultimately impacts the pipeline of women in the workforce and contributes to the lack of women in professional leadership positions.
As part of our broader focus, our partnership is committed to raising awareness of menstrual equity and ensuring Nepali’s adolescent girls receive the hygiene products and support services they so desperately need. Twenty-six percent of adolescent girls in Nepal do not have access to feminine hygiene products and miss school when they are menstruating. Meanwhile, those who attend school while menstruating often experience menstrual-related stress and shame.
Rachel Vreeman, MD, MS, Director of the Arnhold Institute for Global Health and Chair of the Department of Global Health and Health System Design, will moderate this session. Our speakers are Sunila Shakya, MBBS, MD, and Archana Amatya, MD, MPH, MBA. Dr. Shakya is a renowned ob/gyn researcher whose work has focused cervical cancer prevention. This includes expanding access to screening into rural Nepal. Dr. Amatya is also an ob/gyn and serves as Executive Director of the Nepali-based Nick Simons Institute. Both are ardent women’s rights advocates.
In recognition of International Women’s Day 2023, we invite you to join us for this special event and to consider making a gift. Your generous donation will help more of Nepal’s girls to stay in school and achieve their full potential.
Click here to register