Media
Here in our news section, you’ll find stories and the latest updates about how our work is helping to improve society. The attention these articles draw is one of the best resources we have for recruiting the public to our cause. Take a look at our featured pieces below and let us know what you think about our efforts.
Flagged Inappropriate: Social Media Censorship on Women’s Health
Written by Melissa Irving (she/her) | @the_vintage_journalist
Please note: although this article refers to women’s health and sexual well-being content, it is a shorthand expression that encompasses transgender or gender non-conforming people, including those who are assigned female at birth, as they can also be affected by this issue.
"There was a line out the door as more than 600 people turned up for the free haircuts on offer for local Porirua rangatahi ahead of Monday’s return to school..... It was about bringing the community together and getting ready for school,” Sandoval said. She said it not only gave the rangatahi a chance to go back to school with a new haircut, it was also a chance for some fun and something to tell their friends about their holidays."
Health system's 'low priority' attitude to endometriosis a disgrace, expert says
Free haircuts get Porirua students returning to school with fresh new looks
Sandoval, who runs online support group Endometriosis Aotearoa, has heard from hundreds of women and girls struggling with the disease whose symptoms are often dismissed as a painful period. This includes a 13-year-old who had already undergone four surgeries.
Lockdown life in New Zealand, the bubble that ‘beat’ coronavirus
A Wellington woman who suffers with endometriosis is aiming to help others after hearing “heartbreaking” stories of period poverty.
One woman said she had to use toilet paper and socks last month because she was unable to afford period items, while another said she was a mum of three so saved the products she had for her daughters......
In the time it took Wellingtonian Jess Sandoval to do this interview, she had 10 requests from people from around the country asking for sanitary products.
“A lot of messages I have got are mums who are saying: I will use rags. If I have enough toilet paper, I will use that but my kids come first. ”
Other messages come from single mothers, struggling students and women who have taken in children and can’t afford the cost of a period.
Sandoval, founder of Endo Warriors Aotearoa, had more than 150 requests over the weekend, which had left her in tears, especially as she did not have enough products for everyone.
Jess Sandoval, a patient advocate, was diagnosed with Stage IV endometriosis over twenty years ago and still experiences severe pain.
She says, “There’s nothing that holds [providers] accountable to follow [the Clinical Pathway], so people are still taking years to get diagnosed.”