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Anaemia: how it almost robbed me of the joys of motherhood: Zoey's story

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  “Recognising that my lack of awareness nearly jeopardised my child's life has been one of the most difficult experiences for me as a new mother; it served as a critical turning point.” P regnancy is typically heralded as a phase of new beginnings, filled with anticipation and joy. However, for some mothers, this journey can leave enduring scars, experiences they wish to suppress. While it may be tempting to attribute some complications to conditions like anaemia, for Zoey, this has not been a singular episode but a repeated ordeal. Today, we are excited to share her narrative with a broader audience. The saying “once beaten, twice shy” resonates with many, yet my experiences have taught me that sometimes, even after adversity, one feels compelled to unravel the underlying complexities. My journey with anaemia was of pain and close calls. It all began with my first pregnancy when I was diagnosed with anaemia during my initial antenatal visit. This revelation took me by surpris...
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Support is critical to Overcoming Anaemia: Vivian's story

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"While the anaemia journey is a hard one, the presence of a strong support system to help navigate these hard times is a critical part of full recovery" W omen with adequate nutrition are more productive and can create opportunities to gradually break the intergenerational cycles of malnutrition. Despite the vast investment in nutrition, adolescent girls and women whose lived experiences prove the socioeconomic limitations brought by malnutrition still exist. Today, we share Vivian's story.  For a while now, I have been having various mild iron deficiency symptoms, which I hardly took note of. However this year in March everything escalated to unbearable levels. I was constantly bleeding, which caused a drastic decrease in my iron levels. This led to constant dizzy spells, always feeling tired amongst other symptoms. As a result, I took some days off work, which was not ideal but very necessary. However, with multiple visits to the doctor, which were kind of traumatising,...
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Pushing Anaemia reduction in women is not just a feminist agenda: Kuda’s story

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"F or Kuda, this was a period filled with strange and weird experiences like waking up with a swollen face and swollen feet and, at certain times, experiencing cramps in her teeth and tongue (how crazy is that)" W hen we talk about how anaemia exacerbates gender disparities by hindering the learning potential and life opportunities of adolescent girls, weakening their immune systems, and increasing the risk of life-threatening complications during pregnancy and childbirth, some people may mistakenly dismiss it as a feminist agenda statement. However, it's crucial to recognise that these are real experiences that girls are facing right now. To emphasise the profound impact of iron deficiency anaemia (IDA) on the lives of adolescent girls – a formative stage that shapes their journey into adulthood and womanhood – let's delve into Kuda's personal story of how she battled IDA during her early adolescent years. Let me take you back a little. Imagine that year when...
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Adolescent girls overwhelmed by IDA symptoms: Patience's story.

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“One thing I remember is being teased, bullied, and laughed at for my weird cravings …  and that did hurt my self-esteem.” A distressed Adolescent gir l A dolescence is a confusing stage for many young people. Imagine one day you are this 10-year-old young girl playing all over the streets, then the next thing you have these heavy painful periods that often take you away from school. As if that is not enough, two years later you have all these weird cravings and unexplainable energy loss which causes you to want to hide away. In as much as this sounds too much for a 12-year-old, such was Patience’s story of living with Iron Deficiency Anaemia (IDA) in her early adolescent years. Patience’s Iron Deficiency anaemia (IDA) journey started at the young age of 12 years. Just like many other women who have had IDA, she and her family did not have any knowledge of anaemia. To this young girl, some of her symptoms which included extreme fatigue with constant yawning no matter how much she...
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Intergenerational Inheritance of IDA: A threat to Adolescent Iron status. Siphathokuhle's Story

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“It ’s important to do health checks  at an early age,  especially blood counts so that people can get early diagnosis and seek help early ” A picture of Four generations of women W hen we talk of inherited iron deficiency anaemia (IDA) being one of the factors contributing to the unabated IDA prevalence in adolescence it often sounds like a farfetched theory. However, this is a reality of many adolescent girls whose low iron status as children is often exacerbated by the onset of menstruation in adolescence therefore triggering anaemia. While there are a million such stories, today we highlight Siphathokuhle’s lived experience in battling IDA in her adolescent years. Siphathokuhle’s journey started at the early age of 14 when she discovered that her iron levels were lower than normal. However, this news was not new to their family as her grandmother, and mother had previously battled with the same condition years back. Coming from a background of IDA survivors, one would ...
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IDA A Hindrance to Women's full participation in Education: Taona's Story

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" My advice to young women and girls with iron deficiency/anaemia is that they should prioritize their health and listen to their bodies, taking each day as it comes while embracing a positive mindset"   W omen’s participation in tertiary education is still a far-fetched dream to many young women due to the patriarchal society we come from. However, the surge in mainstreaming women's empowerment has seen most women enrolling for tertiary courses, it seems like there is yet another barrier that poses a threat to young women realising their full potential in tertiary education. Learning from Taona’s story, let us dig deep into how Iron Deficiency Anaemia exacerbates the inequalities that exist in education by lowering young women’s ability to learn and fully engage in their studies. My journey with IDA began in 2022. One day, while walking home from school with a friend, I suddenly felt light-headed and collapsed. I was rushed to the University Clinic, where I was given med...
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IDA: A threat to women Empowerment Simbisai's Story

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I started being tired all the time, I could wake up in the morning and I wondered why am I already tired when I had a good night's sleep Simbisai during & after IDA   Have you ever experienced waking up one day and realizing that the vibrant, lively, and sociable version of yourself is no longer present? It's as if the spark that once fueled your energy and enthusiasm for life has vanished. This was precisely the case for Simbisai. One day, she was theepitome of the best version of herself, radiating positivity and eagerness to take on the world. Within some time, however, she could barely muster the strength to show up for herself. Simbisai is a vibrant and enthusiastic mother of three, known for her outgoing and engaging personality. However, despite her vivacious nature, she has not been spared from the debilitating condition of iron deficiency anaemia (IDA). Simbisai's story is a poignant reminder of how easily this condition can go undetected and untreated, with po...
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