Is there a lot of stigma surrounding periods in your community?Do most girls know about what’s happening to them when they get their first period? Are they embarrassed?What about the boys? Are they supportive? Do they really know what happens during menstruation?All around the word, there is still so much misconception and stigma when it comes to periods. But in Ethiopia, this is slowly starting to change.Eleni (14) and Kinfe (13) both attend Dangelo Primary School in Ethiopia and they’re both m...

This post is a collaboration between Nerissa Naidoo, Domitilla De Luca Bossa, and Numu Touray.One of the best parts of the VOY internship is meeting and interacting with people from all over the world. Being exposed to diverse perspectives not only helps us craft more thoughtful pieces, but it extends our view on social justice issues and life in general. We were especially eager to get started on this, our team post, because it was finally our chance to collaborate with the remarkable young peo...

An increasingly relevant issue in a society obsessed with sleek technologies is the fate of our electronic waste. Corporations blindly neglect the consequences of shipping discarded products to recyclers and brokers, who often sell the materials to developing countries. In these nations, environmental and work conditions are loosely regulated, leading to the large-scale exploitation of workers. E-waste has a potent impact on human lives and our Earth, prompting issues that abuse the dignity of h...

How do you define the word ‘broken’? It can mean so many things, so I decided to look it up in the dictionary and it said "fractured, shattered, defeated".I get upset when somebody calls themselves broken and don't get me wrong, I get it, I have called myself broken. But here is the thing, there are broken things, broken cars, broken watches, but we are souls, humans…we don't get fixed like a broken car.Humans are more complex than that, we sometimes refuse to believe that there is something wro...

With the white canvas of a computer document, my truly honest feelings can be transcribed down.I arrived in Madagascar with such a blitz; my spirit burning through the sky, with such high ambitions that all I have been doing since is moving.Every possible stone has been unturned in order for me to reach my purpose of inspiring people and bringing them together, so that we can emblazon the world with every possible tint of courage, connection and colour.Every possible avenue has been travelled to...

I stared at the blank form for 20 minutes. I didn’t know if I was doing the right thing. What if I had only been overreacting and nothing was wrong with me? What if it was just a “sad” phase and I wasn’t really depressed? What if I waste my therapist’s time? There were too many what ifs, but then I thought, “Well, I have been trying to get better by myself and nothing has worked so far. Maybe I do need help”. And so, I submitted the form and got help. I had always been an emotional person, but a...

One of the most critical issues within the field of Migration Studies today remains the delicate status of undocumented immigrants. In turn, immigration legislative proposals are currently at the center of heated debates on political, social, and economic levels – these debates often hindering the more important issue at hand which is the needs of undocumented victims of abuse.Undocumented women who are victims of any form of abuse, be it physical, emotional, sexual or verbal abuse committed by...

Don’t you think it’s funny,That you wouldn't cut a tree,But still write on paper,And use a wooden desk.Don’t you think it’s funny,That you hate fossil fuel energy,But forget to turn off the lights,And leave your computer on while you sleep.Is it not so funny,That you’d never want to waste water,But forget to turn off the tap,Or take a bath and not a shower.The world is such a funny place,Where people claim that things are bad,But they truly never care a bit,About actually making a change.I would...

Probably the most important thing in the world is love.Love is what keeps us going, love is putting somebody else’s needs ahead of our own without excepting anything in return, love is beautiful and magical.There are many types of love, but I want to talk especially about loving a boyfriend or girlfriend, loving someone with all of your heart, and thinking that person is "the one"What is "the one"?To me "the one" or your true love, the love of your life or whatever you want to call it, is someon...