Entering the conversation – Mahrukh Khizar MFA Printmaking’ 27

My first week with Mahwari Justice began with a series of WhatsApp groups, introductions, and video calls. I was connected with the wider team by Faiqa, the Media and Communications Director and a young period activist, as well as Bushra Mahnoor, my supervisor. I also met several of the other interns, many of whom were young women based in Lahore, artists, creatives, and students who had come together because they wanted to contribute meaningfully to the organisation’s work.

What struck me almost immediately was how openly everyone spoke about menstruation. We were discussing periods, menstrual health, and the challenges surrounding them with a kind of ease that felt like a breath of fresh air. In a society where menstruation is still often surrounded by shame, secrecy, and discomfort, being part of a group that could speak so freely about it was both refreshing and inspiring. The enthusiasm of the team was infectious, and I quickly began to feel that I was not simply joining an internship, but entering a community of people who genuinely cared about creating change.

My first project with Mahwari Justice was to develop a zine about menstruation for disabled menstruators. During my first few days, I began researching, organising the content, and planning a timeline for the project. Faiqa also shared the organisation’s extensive research and interviews exploring the experiences of disabled menstruators and the particular challenges they face in accessing, understanding, and managing their periods. Reading through these accounts was deeply moving and made me realise how easily conversations around menstrual health can overlook people whose experiences do not fit into the mainstream narrative.

This research made the purpose of the zine feel especially urgent. It was not enough for menstrual education to simply be available, it needed to be accessible. As I began thinking about the project, I found myself considering how design could help bridge that gap and how visual communication could become a tool for inclusion rather than another barrier. This became the starting point for my work with Mahwari Justice.