Real period stories and testimonies from activists, everyday people, religious leaders and scholars sharing how heritage, languages, and traditions shape the cultural experience behind menstruation across the globe
DISCLAIMER:
1/ The views shared in these interviews are those of the speakers and not necessarily of the authors and partners of the book.
2/ These interviews were originally written in early 2020 and published in May 2021.
Periods and religion
We got the opportunity to interview leaders and scholars from different religions to hear about their views and perspectives on periods from specific religions.
We interviewed religious leaders and scholars as we believe that culture and religion are often weaponised to worsen period stigma in society.
Our intent was two-fold:
- to explore how different religions spoke about menstruation and;
- to try and break the shame and stigma through a theological lens.
We spoke with:
- Rabbi Sybil Sheridan, from West London Synagogue about Judaism
- Father Jonathan MacNeaney, from St Mary Abbots Parish Church about Christianity
- Imam Aarij Anwer, from Khalid Bin Al-Walid Mosque in Toronto
- Dr Haifaa Younis, an OBGYN and religious scholar, about Islam
- Avni Chang, a Hindu studies scholar
- Natasha Chawla, a yoga and Vedanta practitioner
- Dr Lidia Wojtczak, a Sanskrit lecturer and co-investigator on the Dignity Without Danger project about menstrual exclusion in Nepal
We thank all of them for sharing their time and insights to help challenge the stigma around menstruation.
How are periods viewed in Judaism?
Interview with Rabbi Sybil of West London Synagogue, UK.
Periods from the POV of a Muslim OBGYN
Interview with with Dr. Haifaa Younis, an OBGYN and religious scholar.
Periods through Sanskrit texts and Hinduism
Interview with Dr Lidia Wojtczak, a senior lecturer in Sanskrit and co-investigator on the BA Sustainable Grant: “Dignity Without Danger”
How are periods viewed in Islam?
Interview with Imam Aarij Anwer of Khalid Bin Al-Walid Mosque, Toronto, Canada.
How are periods viewed in Christianity?
Interview with with Rev.d. Jonathan MacNeaney of St Mary Abbots Church.
Menstruation through Hinduism, Vedanta and yoga
Interview with Natasha Chawla, a practitioner and scholar studying yoga, Vedanta and Hinduism.
How are periods viewed in Hinduism?
Interview with Avni Chang, a Hindu studies scholar.
Periods and activism
We asked our period activist friends, heroes and collaborators to share their experiences to inspire the next generation of activists and changemakers.
CONTENT DISCLAIMER
- All written interviews are from 2020-2021 during the original run of the Red Cloud Project.
- The video interviews are from 2025 as part of the ‘CHAT AND PATCH: Periods in your language ‘ project.
Chat and Patch: Watch the video above to hear our period activists speak about the project and their experience of activism within UK spaces. For the best experience, please unmute the video.
We spoke with:
- Amika George, UK founder of ‘Free Periods.’
- Mashiyat Rahman, Bengali activist and founder of social enterprise ‘Resurgence’.
- Theresa Nyava, founder of NGO ‘Sanitary Aid Zimbabwe’ (SAZT).
- Sophie Ascheim, co-executive producer of Oscar-winning film ‘Period. End of Sentence.’
- Lauren Anders Brown, filmmaker of ‘WOMENstruate’.
- Radha Paudel, Nepalese author & activist, founder of the ‘Global South Coalition for Dignified Menstruation.’
- Acushla Young, Director of Programmess & Development at Irise International.
- Neelam Heera-Shergill, founder of Cysters.
- Dr Maria Tomlinson, researcher & lecturer at University of Sheffield.
We thank all of them for sharing their time and insights on how one can impactfully challenge the stigma around menstruation.
Amika George: Fighting period poverty
We sat down with Amika George, founder of Free Periods which campaigns to end period poverty in the UK.
Biodegradable pads and bold activism: Meet Mashiyat Rahman
We sat down with Mashiyat Rahman, a Bengali activist and founded of social enterprise Resurgence, tackling the lack of affordable sanitary products by producing sustainable pads using the overgrowth of water hyacinth in Bangladesh.
From classroom idea to Oscar Winner: The Pad Project
We sat down with Sophie Ascheim, the co-executive producer of Oscar-winning film “Period. End of Sentence.“
Theresa Nyava: From lived experience to activism in Zimbabwe
We sat down with Theresa Nyava, the founder of NGO Sanitary Aid Zimbabwe (SAZT) to speak about her activism in tackling period poverty in Zimbabwe.
WOMENstruate: Filming the hidden period experiences in Africa
We sat down with Lauren, a filmmaker who directed ‘WOMENstruate‘, a documentary which follows seven women from across Africa and their experiences with menstruation.
Dignified Menstruation: Radha Paudel’s fight for justice
We sat down with Radha Paudel, author, Nepalese activist and founder of the Global South Coalition for Dignified Menstruation.
Trigger warning: This interview mentions self-harm & suicide.
A dialogue between generations
How do you say ‘periods‘ in your language?
Through this question, we invited South Asian women from different generations to come together in two creative workshops — one in London and one in Sheffield — to make, reflect, share their experiences.
How our mothers, aunties, and grandmothers spoke, or didn’t speak, about periods deeply influences how we understand them today. By bringing together South Asian women from different age groups, we wanted to create a space where these stories, silences, and beliefs could meet, helping us see how attitudes and language have shifted, and what still connects us across generations.
CONTENT DISCLAIMER
- These interviews are from 2025 as part of the ‘CHAT AND PATCH: Periods in your language‘ project.
Chat and Patch: Watch the video above to hear our South Asian participants speak about their period experiences in UK and community spaces. For the best experience, please unmute the video.
We spoke with:
PARTICIPANTS: LONDON
- Anvi & Anshul Gupta
- Kruti Shah
- Nawasha Mishra & Preet Rai
- Naz & Yaz
- Sabira & Zebun
- Zahra Raja
PARTICIPANTS: SHEFFIELD
- Gulshan Munir
- Khushi Kapur
- Noshina Kiani
- Riya Singh
- Sabiha & Nur Ali
- Tanu Patel