AFRIPADS
Women all over the world menstruate. Unfortunately, the reality is that millions of girls and women are in a monthly struggle to manage 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. All of which are unhygienic, ineffective, and uncomfortable. 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. 

AFRIpads believe that 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 1 million AFRIpads Menstrual Kits sold and counting, AFRIpads has demonstrated a simple product innovation is helping hundreds of thousands of women and girls live more hygienic, comfortable and productive lives.  

To find out more about AFRIpads visit their webpage:  www.afripads.com

KEEPING GIRLS IN SCHOOL
1 out of 10 African schoolgirls skips school or drops out of school entirely due to a lack of menstrual products and poor access to proper sanitation, according to UNICEF.

This 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. By providing menstrual products to women AFRIpads helps to support women's rights and empowerment. 

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