The Global South Coalition for Dignified Menstruation and Radha Paudel Foundation (GSCDM/RPF) hosted a six-month virtual fellowship in 2023. The participants were from Austria, Bangladesh, Costa Rica, Malawai, Nigeria, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, and the UK. Likewise, GSCDM/RPF worked with AHF (AIDS HealthCare Foundation) and organized a three-month long virtual leadership programs on dignified menstruation. The participants were from nine countries in Asia, namely Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Laos, Nepal, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam. While going through the various activities as a part of both programs, I deeply realized that their stories from their individual lives, family, school, community, or country are very simple and, in the meantime, very powerful. These stories significantly contribute to changing
the narratives around menstruation and shaping global menstrual movements towards dignity. Recently, ‘menstruation’ has become popular, and everyone likes to work around it either way around. Therefore, reading materials such as anthologies of stories, journal articles, news, books, etc. are constantly produced. However, these reading materials are mostly guided or led by global ideas, assumptions, and architects. Such stories merely align with the needs and priorities of menstruators from the global south. Even the books or studies that focus on the global south hardly include such grass-root stories because of their access to organizations, people, funding, language, and so on. Therefore, we are encouraged to publish these stories, which will provide references for future generations who want to know about menstrual perceptions and practices in the global south. These pieces from Bangladesh, Cambodia, Costa Rica, Colombia, Malawi, Nigeria, the Philippines, Sri Lanka are the parts of virtual fellowship 2023. The story from the UK is included because the author was working with GSCDM/RPF physically and virtually, who has similar stories, though she is in a developed country. Likewise, the story from China is included as part of

6 Menstrual Stories: An Anthology from Global South the leadership program of the AHF though the author is an adult. Likewise, the story from Colombia is included because of its uniqueness and appeal to the sexual and reproductive right actors to apply dignified menstruation as an entry. The stories are organized in country-wise alphabetical order. The core expressions of the stories are presented as they are in order to keep intact with the feeling of an individual because menstrual stories are the combo of emotional, physical, political, economic, social, cultural, environmental and technical experiences which we hardly speak about. There is no uniformity of stories, however, they expose and represent the real context of menstrual discrimination, silence, and ignorance around menstruation. This book also helps the readers understand the gravity of the lack of or limited resources for such work, particularly in the global south. Last but not least, I would like to extend our sincere thanks to contributors, supporters and the GSCDM/RPF team for their continuous support across the program.