Purple Roses Project
This project has been established to facilitate open dialogue around reproductive health complications to promote experience sharing, and to encourage positive supportive structures for women with fertility challenges.
Introduction
Shades of Us Storytelling Initiative for African People (“Shades of Us”) is pioneering the Purple Roses initiative to provide safe spaces for women with infertility. This project has been established to facilitate open dialogue around reproductive health complications to promote experience sharing, and to encourage positive supportive structures for women with fertility challenges.
At its core, this women-centered project aims to create a safe space where women can openly discuss their deepest concerns and ask sensitive questions without fear of judgment or stigma. Infertility can be deeply personal and emotionally challenging, and it is crucial that women feel comfortable and supported in seeking psychosocial and mental health support.
Through this project, women will be able to connect with others who are going through similar experiences, share their stories and insights, and gain valuable knowledge and advice from mental health experts. By fostering a community of empathy, understanding, and mutual support, the Purple Roses project will empower women to take control of the narrative of their health and wellbeing and to navigate the challenges of infertility with confidence and resilience.
Behavioral Objectives
Gap Analysis
Infertility is the inability of a couple to conceive following 12–24 months of exposure to pregnancy. It is expected that 50.0% of women could conceive within 3 months of regular unprotected intercourse, 75.0% in 6 months, and 80.0%–85.0% within a year. Infertility is a worldwide problem, affecting 8.0%–15.0% of couples in their reproductive age (Kamel RM. Management of the infertile couple: An evidence-based protocol. Reprod Biol Endocrinol 2010;8:21.)
According to Dr. WO Odunvbun in his paper published in the Tropical Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, there is a 32.0% institutional incidence rate of infertility in Delta State, similar to the findings in other parts of Nigeria.
The burden of infertility usually lies with women, even though male and female partners contribute variably to infertility in a relationship: female factors contribute 30.0%–40.0% of causes, male factors about 30.0%–40.0%, while both factors and unexplained infertility account for 20.0%–40.0%. Due to cultural – and sometimes, religious – biases, women with infertility are faced with stigma, myths and misconception, and other social stressors that take a toll on their mental health.
There is therefore a need to provide women with infertility with psychosocial and mental health support as they navigate the rigors of stigma, myths and misconceptions, self esteem issues, and more.
Audience
Reach
Shades of Us seeks to reach and provide one thousand (1,000) women with mental health and psychosocial support between 2023 and 2030.
Partnerships
Shades of Us seeks to work closely with fertility specialists, mental health experts, and donor agencies. The goal is to provide women with access to a range of resources and support networks that can help them navigate the complex landscape of infertility. Please send an email to info@shadesofusafrica.org if you are (or know) any individual, group, organization or agency willing to partner with Shades of Us to achieve this goal.
