In Sync

Dignity In Care Ft. Hourab Din

With conversations around menstruation still being so taboo, we often forget those that are even more vulnerable within these situations. Women with disabilities often face a much higher amount of shame and lack of access when it comes to menstrual hygiene management. In today's episode, host Anmol Irfan is joined by Hourab Din, Pakistani gender and social development professional, feminist, and digital journalist focusing on the rights of women and children. Hourab has specifically been working on empowering women with disabilities to gain greater access to menstrual hygiene products and challenge shame and stigmas around them particularly in vulnerable communities. She dives into how these communities and their needs are often ignored, and the work that still needs to be done to create a more equal footing.Follow Echoes Media for more stories and slow news in the Global South

Pakistani Stories For The World ft. Safinah Danish Elahi

Who gets to tell our stories? Who wants to listen to our stories? And where do we as Pakistanis draw the line between staying true to ourselves while also staying relatable to all the diverse experiences our community faces, at home and abroad In our latest episode host Anmol Irfan is joined author Safinah Danish Elahi to celebrate the launch of her third novel Chasing Shadows in Borrowed Light, which follows 4 friends across the world, bound by a secret they'd rather forget. As the founder of Reverie Publishers, Safinah delves into what it's like to be on both sides of the publishing industry and how her own stories and voice have evolved through her work. Follow Echoes Media for more stories and news on the Global South

Justice for Survivors ft. Sahar Bandial

Pakistan may be making progress in its legislation around sexual violence, but what's more important is how that change impacts survivors. In our latest episode, host Anmol Irfan is joined by advocate Sahar Bandial, who authored Equality Now's recent report on the implementation of this legal response to sexual violence in Pakistan. Sahar, whose legal work has long revolved around access to justice for women alongside a broad range of other areas, breaks down the findings of the report, and how survivors in Pakistan can use such work to better empower themselves in their own journey for justiceYou can access a range of helplines here.  Follow Echoes Media for more news on the Global South

Choosing Babies ft. Lexi Ellingsworth

It feels weird when we say we can buy babies. But in many parts of the world, surrogacy - which allows prospective parents to pay a woman to have a baby for them is still allowed. Of course it's not as simple as that, so we dove into the complex world of surrogacy in our latest episode In today's episode, host Anmol Irfan is joined by Lexi Ellingsworth of Stop Surrogacy Now UK, an advocate campaigning against the legalisation of surrogacy and calling for protections for both mothers and babies. We dive deeper into what people still misunderstand about surrogacy, the story the media puts out and why it matters so much to prioritise the right voices Follow Echoes Media for more slow news on the Global South

In The Kitchen ft. Muhammad Zain

What is food for Pakistani's if not a companion in joy, grief and memory? How do we truly see food when it encompasses so many of our relationships and defining moments beyond just the act of eating itself? With Masterchef Pakistan back, amidst a slew of criticism and support, host Anmol Irfan sat down with finalist Muhammad Zain for today's episode to take a deeper look at what food means to him as a self taught chef and why emotions and exploration play such a huge role in his journey. From his creative fusion creations to his background in Astrophysics, Zain takes us through his culinary inspirations, his Masterchef experience and what it means to him when he steps into the kitchen Follow Echoes Media for more stories and slow news. 

Writing From The Heart ft. Arslan Athar

Does the best writing come from rage? Pakistan's latest debut author seems to think so. In our latest episode, host Anmol Irfan speaks to author and writer Arslan Athar about his debut book, 40 days of mourning, writing and publishing in Pakistan's rocky literary industry and the difference between fiction and non fiction writing. Arslan gets deep into how writing is impacted by his emotions, what this journey has been like personally and professionally and what it takes to "make it" as a writer. You can order 40 Days Of Mourning directly from Run On Press here.

Survivor Led Tech ft. Hera Hussain

What does it mean for tech solutions to actually be made for diverse global communities of survivors? When the tech available genuinely caters to the needs of some of the world's most vulnerable communities? 
In this episode, host Anmol Irfan is joined by Hera Hussain, founder of Chayn, an organisation developing tech led survivors for, and by, survivors of abuse. As a Pakistani based the UK, Hussain developed a truly global approach to an initiative that started out aimed at Pakistanis and the Pakistani diaspora - after helping friends escape from abusive situations. This is the final episode for our latest project Echoes Unmuted: Navigating TFGBV. Echoes Unmuted is a two part educational and awareness initiative in collaboration with WOW Pakistan, ahead of the upcoming WOW Festival being held from 24-25 January in KarachiYou can be part of Chayn's work through their current survey, where they are mapping out what image based abuse can mean within global contexts. This series is being delivered with support from the British Council as part of the WOW Pakistan Creative Gender Grants

Technology As A Double Edged Sword ft. Wardah Iftikhar

What does it mean for our digital realities to take root offline? When does digital hate and violence become a danger to the rest of our lives? 
As our digital reality increasingly takes over our lives, we all have concerns about our safety within these spaces, especially as online violence and cyber attacks against women and vulnerable groups continue to increase. That's why we're bringing you the first podcast for Echoes Unmuted: Navigating TFGBV, which is part of our ongoing Echoes Unmuted Project in collaboration with WOW Pakistan ahead of the WOW Festival in January 
Our guest Wardah Iftikhar takes us on a deeper dive into the online and offline consequences of TFGBV, and what it means to create a society that supports women without having to isolate them. 
This series is being delivered with support from the British Council as part of the WOW Pakistan Creative Gender Grants
Follow Echoes Media for a better look at what we're doing with Echoes Unmuted and more stories on the global south

Navigating Digital Safety ft Vaneeza Jawad

Ever worry about what you're putting into the digital realm? Concerned about the kind of backlash you can receive or whether the online hate might cause some very really harm? You're not alone. As our digital reality increasingly takes over our lives, we all have concerns about our safety within these spaces, especially as online violence and cyber attacks against women and vulnerable groups continue to increase. That's why we're bringing you the first podcast for Echoes Unmuted: Navigating TFGBV, which is part of our ongoing Echoes Unmuted Project in collaboration with WOW Pakistan ahead of the WOW Festival in January Our guest Vaneeza Jawad, the communications manager at the Digital Rights Foundation takes us on a deeper dive into the online and offline realities of tech-facilitated gender based violence (TFGBV) what it means to work with survivors and tailoring solutions to a Pakistani context to best serve vulnerable communities 
This series is being delivered with support from the British Council as part of the WOW Pakistan Creative Gender GrantsFollow Echoes Media for a better look at what we're doing with Echoes Unmuted and more stories on the global south
 

Gendered Climate Action ft. Aayisha Siddiqa

What do we mean when we say climate change is gendered? The truth is climate change doesn't impact everyone the same way - and that's why a gendered approach to climate action is crucial to a just, equitable and effective solutions.
In today's episode host Anmol Irfan is joined by Aayisha Siddiqa, a development practitioner working with Baithak - Challenging Taboos on a more gendered approach to climate action in Pakistan. This is the second in a two part episode series as part of Echoes Unmuted: Where Climate Meets Gender, a multimedia educational and awareness initiative in collaboration with WOW Pakistan. For Aayisha, gendered climate action means including more voices and survivors, not excluding - and in this episode she opens up about what it means to balance her own wellbeing with the work she does every day with survivors of climate disasters and how others can get involved. 
Follow Echoes Media for a better look at what we're doing with Echoes Unmuted and more stories on the global south