Founders Story

I was diagnosed with MRKH syndrome at 16 years old and for a long time I felt deeply alone. Facebook groups and fragmented forums did exist, but at that time I craved something that I could not find. I wanted social connection outside of hospital settings. I wanted honest conversations, creativity, vulnerability, friendship and spaces where people could feel understood without needing to explain everything about themselves.

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At 23, I became an anonymous advocate for MRKH and later created one of London’s first Facebook groups for girls and people with MRKH. What started with four of us going out for dinner slowly grew into ten and then into hundreds of women connecting through our annual picnics, creative workshops, paint and sips, Christmas events, mood-board sessions, writing groups, WhatsApp chats, collaborations and lasting friendships. Years later, our community is still thriving, collaborating and growing in the MRKH sphere. 

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During lockdown, I ran writing workshops, art clubs and therapeutic creative spaces because I could see how deeply people needed connection, expression and somewhere to feel seen. Poetry, storytelling, creativity and self-expression have always felt healing to me and have remained at the heart of so much of the work I do.

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Alongside this, I founded VAVA Womb, to challenge stigma around female health and co-founded The Vagina Festival to create opportunities for artists and performers, to tackle the gynae health stigma. I am also an artist myself and have spent years creating and facilitating spaces centred around creativity, conversation and emotional honesty.

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Over time, something became increasingly clear to me. Community matters enormously, but sometimes people also need support that sits somewhere between clinical care and community support. Experiences that help someone reconnect with themselves, their confidence, their body, their creativity or their identity in deeply personal ways that may not be offered through your GP or girl-group events. 

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Through my own journey of self esteem building and body acceptance searching, that has included booking my own experiences like vulva casting, confidence courses, photography sessions and creative healing workshops. Some of these experiences were among the most vulnerable things I have ever done, but they also helped me accept myself in ways I never expected. They helped me feel more connected to myself, more confident and less ashamed of parts of me that are so rarely talked about. 

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The Rarely Project has grown from that understanding.

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I believe supportive, therapeutic and self-affirming experiences should not feel inaccessible or out of reach for people who may truly benefit from them. I believe there is power in creating pathways towards healing that are human, creative and community-led. I believe people deserve spaces where they can feel seen without needing to fully explain themselves.

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Professionally, I have worked in social housing and project management for 16 years, supporting communities and working across teams connected to people, wellbeing and the charitable sector. The Rarely Project brings together both sides of who I am. My professional experience in building and managing complex programmes, to community-focused projects, alongside my lived experience, creativity and advocacy.

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While continuing the work supporting the MRKH community through advocacy, collaborations, events and future creative projects, The Rarely Project also opens the door wider for anyone experiencing loneliness within themselves, their body, their identity or their life experience.

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I am so excited for the team and partners on the horizon, this is going to be truly special! Eeeek! 

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Welcome to The Rarely Project.
I’m so glad you’re here.