Spotlighting female voices: DHS hosts exhibition on bleeding disorders in Ljubljana

In April 2024, Društvo hemofilikov Slovenije (DHS), our Slovenian National Member Organisation (NMO), marked World Haemophilia Day with a powerful public exhibition in Congress Square, in the heart of Ljubljana, Slovenia, focused on elevating underrepresented voices in the bleeding disorders community—particularly women and girls.

This year’s initiative was inspired by the 2025 World Haemophilia Day theme, “Access for All: Women and Girls Bleed Too”, in a bid to promote greater inclusivity. Our Slovenian NMO welcomed this evolution and sought to reflect it by shifting the spotlight to those often overlooked in public narratives.

After hosting a successful exhibition in 2023—where only one female participant was featured—the team set out to reverse the imbalance. For the 2024 edition, nearly all posters featured female voices. The only male participant was the DHS President, who also lives with haemophilia.

“Girls and women have long been underrepresented and often underappreciated within the bleeding disorders community,” said Mitja Kavčič from the DHS organising team. “We made a conscious effort to reach out to those willing to share their stories publicly.”

At first, the organisers feared they might struggle to gather enough female participants—but the response exceeded expectations. In the end, 13 women from the bleeding disorders community contributed by sharing their personal stories, which were carefully edited with the support of a writer and translated into English to ensure accessibility for both residents and tourists.

The exhibition also featured EHC educational content, including an introduction to bleeding disorders, key facts, the “7-2-1 rule” infographic on heavy menstrual periods, and data from EHC-led surveys conducted in collaboration with other EHC NMOs.

One moment, in particular, captured the power of the exhibition. A young girl with von Willebrand Disease was seen reading every story with great attention. Visibly moved, she shared that the experience made her feel seen and less alone.

“If our efforts helped even just one person feel understood, then every hour spent preparing this exhibition was more than worth it”, Mitja Kavčič said.

This activity was supported by the EHC via an Activity Grant.