The Story of Aahung

In the early 90s, two intrepid women ventured into the back alleys of one of the slums of Karachi, to carry out research for a project – Karachi Reproductive Health Project, the first of its kind in the country. In those days the threat of HIV AIDS was looming large, and Kamyla Marvi Tapal and Shazia Mohamed set out to dig out more information, conducting tests and carrying out investigative work.

Thankfully, HIV AIDS did not turn out to be much of a concern, but another startling discovery was made- the majority of the population had a surprising lack of information about their physical selves. Aahung’s enterprising researchers, with insatiable curiosity plunged headfirst into finding out more about this gap in information.

What they discovered was that, far from knowing about diseases like HIV AIDS and how they may be prevented or contracted, the young men and women in Karachi hardly had any information about their bodies, its various parts and functions. Almost no one knew about the functions of the private parts of the body, the onset of puberty, contraception, abortion or any basic reproductive health issues that directly impact the everyday physical health and well-being of people.

The taboo around sexual and reproductive health in Pakistan and the inherent reticence about the topic, even amongst the very privileged echelons of society with access to all kinds of information and proper healthcare, was puzzling. The Aahung Team made visits into rural Sindh almost every day. Based on the information gathered, they would develop training modules specifically with the needs of the local community in mind.

The answer was before them. There was a dire need to fill in this glaring lack of information amongst the population – rural and urban. Even though the Karachi Reproductive Health Project had ended, the researchers realized that work in this field must go on. A group of like-minded individuals came together, and so, in 1995, Aahung was born.

Aahung means ‘harmony’ and that is what the organization seeks to achieve- between an individual’s mind, body and spirit; and between the individual and society. When starting out, it was not obvious how very challenging the work would be. Pakistan’s socio-cultural environment has no room for talk about sexual and reproductive health and from the very early years children are taught that their private parts are associated with shame.

In 15 short years, Aahung was brought on the world map. For its outstanding achievement in engaging a wide range of stakeholders, like school teachers, medical staff, religious scholars and parents on difficult issues, Aahung received the Government of Netherlands’ Tulip Award in 2013. The Human Rights Tulip is an annual prize awarded by the Dutch ministry of Foreign Affairs to a human rights defender or organisation who promotes and supports human rights in innovative ways. In 2017, Aahung’s executive director received the Joan Dunlop Award, conferred every year by International Women’s Health Coalition to women activists from various countries who work on women’s rights issues and promote SRHR for women and girls under challenging circumstances.

Carrying Aahung’s mission forward each day, has been nothing short of an adventure. In the early years of the organization, when a handful of spirited Aahung staff ventured into the field to gain hands-on information about the ground realities, they faced many challenges. They faced instances when they were grabbed by the collar and dragged out for spreading ‘immorality’. But, undeterred, Aahung carried on its work relentlessly and over time, many staunch opposition members became its greatest support. It has been 30 years and the work goes on.