Historically women have been excluded from many clinical trials, this has created gaps in knowledge of how to treat women when it comes to certain issues, this led to delayed diagnoses and higher risks for women. The Girls’ Girl Project is a youth-led response to such issues, to tackle such concerns, although starting from a HOSA project to increase awareness, it evolved into a platform to advocate for other women. Niranjana Karthikeyen, Muskan Sandhu, and Shijumita Kumar, who are all juniors and good friends, came together to advocate for a cause they all truly believe in.
The Girls’ Girl project is a community awareness initiative that raises awareness of the lack of research being dedicated towards women’s conditions, which include endometriosis, PCOS, female pattern cardiovascular disease. This project shares tips for self advocacy, they promote events and fundraising. “We aim to help women of all backgrounds who are suffering because of this imbalance in healthcare by providing information, resources, and support to navigate their healthcare journeys” Karthikeyen said.
These causes and impacts this project is intended to bring beyond awareness but aids in support, and information, for women of all perspectives.
For such projects, it’s important to lead with why, as young women, these girls see the imbalance and unfairness firsthand, there are thousands each day that are dismissed of their symptoms and delayed in their diagnosis. “Knowing that thousands of women are actively struggling because of this issue makes me all the more motivated to support how I can,” Karthikeyen said. She brings the idea that, many are struggling and are facing health complications due to the lack of research on women and them in the face of a disease or complications. The more women that can benefit from such a cause, the more women that increase productive healthcare.
As long time friends, they all come together often to brainstorm, like most, but what sets them apart is their proactive neighborhood involvement, “We personally believe that in order to raise awareness about the issue, we have to come to people first and can’t just focus on one platform or place” Sandhu said. Which includes their booths that they set up throughout Mill Creek and Bothell, as well as participate in hot cocoa sales at the Everett community ice rink, while all their earned proceeds go towards the society for Women’s health research, not just raising awareness online but going straight into their communities and raising awareness from there as well.
Overall, these three girls are trying hard to put their hard work and attempt to raise awareness out into their community to fight for a cause they genuinely believe in, they help women in their community to advocate for themselves, to create a push towards more equitable research. Advocacy will benefit anyone and everyone, the more the word is spread the more the word is known, their dedication to this cause allows for so many more women to gain confidence and fight for more equity in such a field. Supporting them is a way to not only support young ambitious leaders but also a cause that the women of these communities can benefit from.
