Menstrual hygiene continues to be one of the most difficult developmental issues today. Not only do deep-rooted taboos, myths and misinformation create the illusion that menstruation is inherently shameful, rude and strange, but in many developing countries women and girls often lack access to sanitation facilities. hygiene and basic facilities (such as toilets, and soap) necessary for good menstrual hygiene management (MHM).

A case study by UNICEF Burkina Faso revealed that girls often do not have a safe or private place in school to change their menstrual products, resulting in about 1 in 10 African girls missing school during their rules. In India, a report by Plan India and AC Nielsen “Revealed that 88% of women use old fabrics, rags or sand to manage their flow because they cannot access or afford store-bought sanitary napkins. “

Poor menstrual hygiene has negative effects on the environment and the education and health for girls and women, and can also reduce economic opportunities.

Despite the many challenges, there are economic opportunities when it comes to menstrual hygiene! Social enterprises and other organizations around the world are developing innovative business-driven solutions to tackle these challenges head-on.

Here is a list of 5 amazing social impact businesses and organizations that are leveraging the rules and changing the lives of women and girls:

1. Sustainable healthcare companies (SHE) helps Rwandan women launch local franchises to make affordable and environmentally friendly sanitary napkins. Made from local banana fiber, absorbent and affordable, SHE’s go! the buffers are sustainably produced on an industrial scale with local farmers and manufacturing teams, first by producing banana flake in a central location, then assembling the tampons in a decentralized network across the country. This distribution system includes a training community health workers on how to educate boys and girls about puberty and menstrual hygiene, and enables them to become sole distributors and owners who earn extra income by selling sanitary napkins.

2. NatraCare manufactures organic and natural personal health and hygiene products, including tampons, pads and panty liners. Many non-organic products contain rayon, a synthetic fiber produced from bleached wood pulp, which creates dioxin, a probable carcinogen. And according to the proposal Tampon Safety and Research Act of 1999, approximately 73,000,000 women in the United States use menstrual hygiene products that have yet to be approved by the FDA. Natracare has done a lot to reduce the environmental impact of sanitary products by producing a full line of sanitary napkins and liners in cellulose and bioplastics that are completely chlorine-free, biodegradable and compostable under the right conditions, and safe for septic tanks.

3. Kindara is dedicated to giving women the knowledge and support they need to understand how their fertility works and take charge of their reproductive health. Kindara’s Fertility App for iPhone and Android has helped tens of thousands of women get pregnant faster, or avoid pregnancy naturally, and better understand their cycles. Kindara’s second product, Wink, is a Bluetooth basal thermometer that allows women to seamlessly track their data with greater ease and accuracy. The flow is a similar app that helps women understand the phases of their menstrual cycle.

4. Telescope is a Finnish producer of menstrual cups, which are easy-to-use, hygienic, reusable and environmentally friendly alternatives to pads and tampons. In the UK, the average woman uses about 11,000 disposable tampons and tampons throughout his life, and 2 billion sanitary protection products are flushed down the toilet per year, which is responsible for 75% of all cases of blocked drains and entails moving costs of £ 14bn each year. Menstrual cups can be used for up to 10 years and thus significantly reduce the amount of waste. Other menstrual cup companies include Diva Cup, Ruby Cup and Soft cup.

5. AFRIpads is a social enterprise in Uganda specializing in the local manufacture and global supply of cost-effective and reusable sanitary napkins. By making sanitary napkins locally, they are helping to develop a rural Ugandan industry that enables its staff, 90% of whom are women, to have productive employment. And what’s more: AFRIpads is the beneficiary partner of a number of buy-a-give-one programs with sustainable business ventures in Canada, Australia and the United States, such as One4Her by Luna Pads, Moxie tampons for tampons and The purchasing power of THINX programs.

All of these inspiring organizations are part of a global initiative initiated by WASH United in 2014: Menstrual hygiene day, May 28. This year, more than 290 partners, including global and local NGOs, research organizations and universities, joined the Menstrual Hygiene Day Partner Coalition to break the silence and raise awareness of the importance of menstrual hygiene. good menstrual hygiene management (MHM) for all women. and adolescent girls. Organized partners more than 100 events in more than 30 countries around the world!

Help spread awareness using our free resources and following the initiative of Facebook.

This article was written by Thorsten kiefer, founder of SOLID WASH and fellow Ashoka.