Over half of the world experiences menstruation, yet women and girls still face extraordinary barriers simply because of their periods.
Unable to afford or access proper menstrual products, many girls and women rely on crude, improvised materials like scraps of old clothing, pieces of foam mattress, toilet paper, leaves, and banana fibres to manage their menstruation – all of which are unhygienic, ineffective, and uncomfortable. This is hardly what we would consider a “solution”.
Faced with frequent, embarrassing leaks and a susceptibility to recurrent infections, the impact is that millions of girls and women experience their monthly period as something that prevents them from engaging in daily life – whether this is going to school or work, or carrying out their normal domestic responsibilities.
No more ‘week of shame’
AFRIpads’ exists because we believe menstruation should not be a barrier for any woman, anywhere. Women are the backbone of our societies and they deserve access to safe and dignified solutions to managing their periods, and the freedom to rise to their dreams and achieve their true potential.
With over 3.5 million AFRIpads Menstrual Kits sold and counting, AFRIpads has demonstrated how our simple product innovation is helping hundreds of thousands of women and girls live more hygienic, comfortable and productive lives.
Spotlight on schoolgirls
The critical unavailability of sanitary products in developing countries is a major barrier to education for girls of school-going age. The inability to effectively manage menstruation contributes to absences of up to 4-5 school days each month, equating to as much as 20% of the academic year intentionally skipped, simply due to menstruation. Eventually many of these girls drop out of school entirely, increasing their likelihood of teen pregnancy health complications and early marriage, and further limiting their future career and economic opportunities.
Our Mission
AFRIpads’ mission is to empower women and girls through business, innovation and opportunity.
We are a social enterprise that specializes in the local manufacture and global supply of reusable sanitary pads as a cost-effective menstrual hygiene solution for millions of women and girls worldwide. AFRIpads has its operational office in Uganda, with sales offices in Kenya and Malawi.
By operating as a social business and employing a 90% female staff responsible for manufacturing our innovative menstrual hygiene solution, AFRIpads is dedicated to creating unique opportunities that empower women and girls across the globe.
Changing lives
We provide solutions. AFRIpads is committed to helping women and girls break the barriers that menstruation creates in their lives and to helping them rise to their full potential. The women and girls around the world who use AFRIpads Menstrual Kits are empowered with the protection and comfort they need during menstruation. This enables them to stay in school, go to work, and participate in daily life with the confidence and dignity they deserve.
Creating livelihoods
We create jobs. Creating gainful employment opportunities is at the core of AFRIpads’ mission. We believe in local job-creation and the transformative impact it has on the lives of our over 200 employees and their families in Uganda. For our employees, working with AFRIpads means the opportunity to gain financial independence and acquire both technical and business skills, which will increase their opportunities in the future. We also believe in investing in local industry, and by placing our manufacturing operations in rural Uganda we are able to bring unskilled workers into Uganda’s formal economy, driving the country’s development.
