Have you heard about ‘Period Poverty’? It refers to a situation where an individual cannot afford proper sanitary products due to economic challenges. It means more than a lack of money to buy sanitary pads, but a wide range of effects, including economic vulnerability, social atmosphere, and one’s psychology.

Nearly a quarter of Ugandan girls between the ages of 12 and 18 drop out of school when they begin menstruation, the country’s Education and Sports Ministry reported. The fact that commercial disposable pads cost nearly $ 6 a month poses a serious threat to underprivileged families where they earn less than a dollar a day. Many girls, thus, replace the pads with scraps of old clothes or skip schools otherwise.

Indeed, the substitutes are not desirable in terms of hygiene and health. Also, the more they become isolated from society due to menstruation, the worse it becomes how people perceive menstruation and eventually, it must stay hidden away. The period shame has negative mental effects too. The pressure and shame in this atmosphere disempower them to feel embarrassed about a normal biological process.

“Suppose nothing is done to end period poverty in Uganda. In that case, the country will struggle to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030”, warned John Chrysostom Muyingo, Uganda’s state minister for higher education. Addressing the lack of access to menstrual health education and sanitary products plays a crucial role in achieving several of the 17 SDGs, from good health and quality education to gender equality and access to water and sanitation for all.

Daniel started Eco Sanitary in 2019 to eradicate Period Poverty and its barrier in Uganda. He believed that the greatest barrier of Period Poverty is that people have to purchase costly disposable pads monthly. In order to break the barrier, he and Eco Sanitary worked on reusable, affordable, and eco-friendly sanitary pads which can be used for more than three months.

Thus, Ecouga pads were born. Ecouga Pads are reusable sanitary pads made with distinction. They contain banana fibers from its stems easily found in Uganda. Eco Sanitary produces the pads with cotton out of its stems which, otherwise, would be wasted. They are washable, reusable for more than three months, as well as biodegradable. Also, they are four times cheaper than commercial disposable pads. This made it widely accessible even to underprivileged families.

Eco Sanitary hopes to spread Ecouga Pads all over Uganda to free women from Period Poverty. However, it is challenging to embrace the inflated raw materials and office rent. The Bridge will support Daniel and Eco Sanitary with impact donation to encourage more Ecouga pads for more people.

Please support Daniel and Eco Sanitary to break the barriers with Ecouga Pads!