Khud se Pooche
Amplifying women's voices to demand healthcare with dignity.
We partnered with Packard Foundation on Khud Se Pooche (Ask Yourself), a campaign which demanded dignity for women accessing healthcare services in India.
Key Outcomes
1,000+ influencers created content using the #PassThePin hashtag
6,000 women shared their healthcare experiences via comments and DMs
7.9M views for content creator Oolfat’s YouTube Shorts “Healthcare in Bihar” video
Challenge
Access to healthcare has long been a concern for women in India, who often face disrespect, discrimination and stereotyping at health centers. This lack of dignity deters many women from seeking care, which leads to more serious health issues. We aimed to mobilize the community to champion shared dignity, empowering women and queer individuals to advocate for the respectful healthcare they deserve.
Creative
We began an ambitious task to gather One Million Safety Pins (digitally and offline). The pins became a metaphorical expression of the millions of unheard voices of women: when you add a pin – you add your story, when you pass a pin – you acknowledge the issue. The creative was grounded in a universal recognition of care with dignity through the “Pass the Pin” symbol, representing repair, unity and protection. We used relatable faces and real life stories to encourage solidarity within the target audience, with offline community events such as roadshows, college gatherings, an ambassador program, and art installations – including the KSP pin flag to bring it all together.
Campaign
Our public awareness and mobilization campaign combined on- and offline activations. This included collaborating with local artists to explore diverse, hyperlocal artforms and storytelling methods. We also conducted the KSP Ambassador program, which included multiple co-creation and upskilling workshops with diverse target audience groups, to develop visioning and plans. And our digital campaign, #PassThePin, mobilized women to share their stories and encourage solidarity.
Impact
Khud se Pooche showed that building inclusivity and solidarity can have a huge mobilizing effect on historically marginalized communities. Alongside the collection of stories and pins, the KSP Ambassador program in particular gave women a sense of pride and ownership of the issue, via the new opportunities they gained as participants. Finding their voices in a safe space helped them become more confident outside the classroom and begin to advocate for change in their own communities.
“Pass the Pin is perhaps one of the only movements in India that looks at centering women’s voices when it comes to quality of care, where women speak for themselves, and others are not speaking for them.”
Aastrika Foundation
