Even during the years of impressive innovation and technological success, poverty is still affecting Africa. Those affected the worst are young girls. The products first cut from the households include sanitation products, resulting in maintained gender inequality. Without intimate sanitation, girls can no longer attend school, causing them to miss up to a quarter of the school year and consequently falling behind, keeping the girls one step behind.

More solutions are on the market than ever in terms of intimate sanitation options. Nevertheless, without access to funds, girls in Africa continue to suffer due to something as small as the lack of adequate intimate sanitation, a household product which is often cut out in times of poverty. Consequently, girls are experiencing high levels of stigma and can miss as much as a quarter of the school year, a fact which maintains the high levels of gender inequality and poverty in Zimbabwe.

By providing funds to rural schools to invest in sewing machines and material as well as financial training we are providing schools with the opportunity to independently learn and make reusable pads for girls attending the school. This will in turn generate a small income to the school to continue to fund the initiative. We will also host workshops around the use of menstrual cups and hope to roll out a project to supply 1000 girls with these, as they last 10 years and are sustainable

By providing teachers, and the girls themselves with the skills to make reusable pads, the project is being established in a sustainable matter, rather than to simply buy pads which would be an ongoing cost. The skills would further be transferable and be able to assist in other income-generating initiatives. Further, it provides a greater understanding of reduced consumption, recycling and preparation for climate change as well as helping to break the stigma associated with menstruation