Laisa is a vibrant, 32-year-old Fijian woman living with albinism. Laisa has a positive, can-do attitude to life. She has spoken publicly about being bullied, how this affected her self-esteem and how she overcame it to be the confident, full-of-life person that she is today.
She is passionate about raising awareness, legal advocacy and addressing human rights issues, particularly in governance, gender and disability. As well as being a shining star in the advocacy work that she does, she is also a keen musician who loves song writing and performing live.
“I hope that no young girl experiences the things that I went through. I want young girls to know that it’s perfectly ok to stain their uniforms or clothes, it doesn’t make you any less of a woman. That the period cramps and the discomfort that you are feeling is valid. And that if you need to take rest to manage the pain better it doesn’t make you weak."
—Laisa Bulatale
“I hope that no young girl experiences the things that I went through. I want young girls to know that it’s perfectly ok to stain their uniforms or clothes, it doesn’t make you any less of a woman. That the period cramps and the discomfort that you are feeling is valid. And that if you need to take rest to manage the pain better it doesn’t make you weak."
—Laisa Bulatale
“It was very empowering to hear Laisa’s story and I think that it is going to impact a lot of women, especially younger women who are experiencing the same thing and feeling like they are alone. It bought up a lot of my own experiences. It is a sensitive subject that I didn’t think that I could share about, but I think that it is something that I now feel empowered to be open to share about with other women from the heart about my own experiences.”
Faith Naivaluwaqa | Photographer
“I learnt a lot being a part of the campaign understanding what women go through. I have sisters and when I heard Laisa’s story it really opened up my mind to what they have experienced. I hope that everybody sees this video, both women and men; it is important as in Fiji menstruation is a taboo subject to talk about and I hope that it educates more people to understand women’s experiences.”
Joshua Tukana | Videographer
The Fiji Women's Rights Movement (FWRM), established in 1986, is a multi-ethnic and multicultural non-governmental organisation committed to removing all forms of discrimination against women through institutional reform and attitudinal change.
FWRM’s Intergenerational Women’s Leadership Programme (IWLP) engages closely with diverse women (including women, young women and girls of diverse socio-economic backgrounds, sexual orientation and disabilities) young women and girls in strengthening and progressing their leadership and advocacy skills at national, regional and international platforms through feminist leadership programmes.
The FWRM Grow.Inspire.Relate.Lead.Succeed - GIRLS Programme sits under the IWLP and implements the Let's Talk Period Project, supported by the Australia NGO Coorporation Program (ANCP) grant, in partnership with WaterAid Australia. FWRM believes that a cornerstone of girls’ leadership is inter-generational learning through agency building, sharing lived experiences and continuous campaigns/advocacy on key girls' human rights violations.
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