The myths and misconceptions surrounding the taboo subject of menstruation affect the quality of education for many young girls in Africa, who often lack proper access to sanitary protection and facilities. Using only cheap and abundant local resources, MakaPads are a simple technological innovation that provides schoolgirls with affordable protection, and in turn, greater comfort, confidence and learning ability.

This CAI paper is part two of a two-part series that discusses the benefits and potential of utilizing simple and attainable technologies to tackle issues affecting Africans. Part one, titled Simple technology for simple solutions: Part 1 – OneDollarGlasses, focused on OneDollarGlasses,⁽²⁾ the first-prize winner of the Empowering People Award. The competition, which called for developers to submit their simple and innovative tech solutions, was managed by Siemens Stiftung and launched at the United Nations Summit for Sustainable Development in Rio de Janeiro in 2012. Third prize went to the United Kingdom’s David Osborne for the Jompy Water Boiler, a water and energy innovation. This paper will examine MakaPads, the second place winner in the competition. As the only trademarked biodegradable sanitary pads made in Africa, they are an equally valuable example of how a single idea, basic resources and simple technology can significantly benefit the lives of Africans.

The problem: Gender inequality and inadequate feminine hygiene

Menstruation is a natural part of the reproductive cycle and yet it remains a taboo subject in many parts of the world, including Africa, where approximately 52%of the female population is of reproductive age.⁽³⁾ At any given time, there are around 300 million women and girls worldwide who are menstruating, yet only 12% of them have access to commercial sanitary products.⁽⁴⁾ Adolescent girls face difficult challenges when first experiencing menstruation even in the most supportive of conditions. Those challenges are made even more difficult by various socio-cultural factors which specifically affect girls.

Girls often have little access to education and information regarding the menstruation process because of the highly taboo nature of the subject in many parts of Africa. One study revealed that 68% of school girls in Ghana knew nothing about their periods when they started menstruating.⁽⁵⁾ A lack of affordability and access to appropriate sanitation protection in addition to poor sanitary facilities at schools make menstrual hygiene difficult. A private space with a safe disposal method for used cloths and a water supply for washing hands and materials is often unavailable at schools.⁽⁶⁾ The girls’ inability to properly clean themselves only exacerbates the embarrassment they experience and draws teasing or bullying from boys. Girls also face the problem of restricted control over their own mobility; they are often forced to stay home due to myths, superstitions and misconceptions about menstruation. Such myths include believing sanitary napkins can make a person sterile, or that menstrual blood is dangerous to men or the fertility of cattle and crops.⁽⁷⁾

Because many girls cannot afford sanitary pads and are restricted by socio-cultural factors, they often choose to or are forced to stay home from school when they begin their period and are consequently left behind in complex subjects. Research confirms that the onset of puberty leads to significant changes in school participation among girls,⁽⁸⁾ ranging from temporary to permanent drop-outs. One study revealed that 95% of Ghanaian school girls have missed school due to menstruation, while 51% of girls in Ethiopia miss between one and four days of school per month and 39% report reduced performance.⁽⁹⁾

The solution

In 2003, Dr Moses Musaazi, an electrical engineer and lecturer at Uganda’s Makerere University in the Faculty of Technology, developed MakaPads - biodegradable and environmentally friendly sanitary towels made out of papyrus reeds. Musaazi said he realised that the main reason girls were missing school was because they could not afford sanitary pads.⁽¹⁰⁾ He developed the final product by combining his experience in crafting appropriate technologies derived from locally available materials and processes with a research grant and a couple of years of testing to create what would become MakaPads. They are now the only trademarked biodegradable sanitary pad made in Africa.

Musaazi tested a variety of natural materials such as banana fibre and elephant grass before settling on three components: papyrus reeds, waste paper and water.⁽¹¹⁾ He found papyrus was the best natural absorbent and retainant for fluids in addition to being very easy to process and having a long shelf life. The dried and crushed raw papyrus fibres are processed into a thick paste with paper and water which is then dried in the sun, smoothed, pressed and cut to size into absorbent inserts with manually operated machines. Ultraviolet light is used for sterilization.⁽¹²⁾ The pads are assembled with a moisture barrier and mesh covering, and can be purchased with or without an adhesive that slips into knickers with special elastics to hold the pad in place. The highly absorbent pads can be used for eight to ten hours.⁽¹³⁾

Benefits

The affordability of MakaPads is undoubtedly one of their most important attributes - at around US$ 0.60 for a pack of 10 pads, they are 50% cheaper than the other imported brands in Uganda.⁽¹⁴⁾ Furthermore, MakaPads are also environmentally friendly as they are 95% biodegradable and the only sanitary pads available in Uganda that are chemical free.⁽¹⁵⁾ Almost zero electricity is needed for production and the materials are sourced locally. The papyrus reeds are cut from the vast, abundant swamps and riverbanks all over Uganda, while the paper used is waste or paper cut-offs from printing presses.⁽¹⁶⁾

An additional benefit generated by MakaPads is the employment opportunities that the product creates for people at various levels of production, particularly refugees. The United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) buys over 90% of the entire production of MakaPads and in turn, Makapads employs refugees in its production process.⁽¹⁷⁾ According to Musaazi, many women are the managers and producers of MakaPads, either utilizing simple machines based in their own homes or at one of several small production points throughout Uganda.⁽¹⁸⁾ In a 209 sq/km refugee settlement in Kyaka II in Uganda, there are two MakaPad production sites that employ dozens of refugees, most of whom are women. On average, one site makes at least 3,000 packages a day, each containing ten sanitary pads.⁽¹⁹⁾ Evelyne Banyamisa, a refugee from the Democratic Republic of Congo living in the camp, says she was idle for about two years until she was employed by MakaPads. She now gets a monthly salary which she uses to sustain her family.⁽²⁰⁾

Of course, the most important result of MakaPad production and availability is the opportunity that the product provides for girls to attend classes more regularly. An Oxford University study in Ghana found that when puberty education and sanitary napkins were provided to girls, absenteeism was dramatically reduced, with an average of 6.6 days per term saved per girl.⁽²¹⁾ Anne, a Ugandan primary schoolgirl, said “Makapads have improved our lives. Before I was using banana leaves and would stay home from school. Now, I can study and play. I feel very free.”⁽²²⁾ More girls can now afford sanitary pads in Uganda, allowing for lower rates of absenteeism and hopefully a better educational experience.

Concluding remarks

MakaPads are an excellent example of how research and innovation can create relatively simple processes to address significant problems. The lack of access to proper sanitary pads during menstruation can have detrimental effects for women and can significantly affect the quality of education for young schoolgirls. MakaPads is changing that, all while using 100% local and abundant resources, in addition to providing employment opportunities where they are desperately needed.

Currently, approximately five million MakaPads are produced each year at multiple production points in different parts of Uganda.⁽²³⁾ However, with only 10% of produced pads sold successfully on the open market, Musaazi says they still need to overcome the bias against African-invented products on the global market.⁽²⁴⁾ Aggressive marketing will be needed to expand into the open market and become globally recognized. Increasing open market sales of MakaPads would not only boost production and employment opportunities, but also expand their availability to girls beyond Uganda. To provide greater access to affordable protection that contributes to young girls’ comfort, confidence and quality of education is a marketing challenge worth taking on. In the meantime, MakaPads will continue to improve the lives of many Ugandans, especially the schoolgirls that use them and the refugees that produce them.

Written by Lonnie Kehler ⁽¹⁾

NOTES:

(1) Lonnie Kehler is a Research Associate with CAI, with a particular interest in technological innovation and the intersection of environment and social justice. Contact Lonnie through CAI’s Optimistic Africa unit ( optimistic.africa@consultancyafrica.com). Edited by Liezl Stretton. Research Manager: Charlotte Sutherland.
(2) Kehler,L., ‘Simple technology for simple solutions: Part 1 – OneDollarGlasses’, Consultancy Africa Intelligence, 20 August 2014, http://www.consultancyafrica.com.
(3) House, S., Mahon, T. and Cavill, S., ‘Menstrual hygiene matters: A resource for improving menstrual hygiene around the world’, WaterAid, 2012, http://www.wateraid.org.
(4) George, R., ‘Celebrating womanhood: How better menstrual hygiene management is the path to better health, dignity and business’, Water Supply & Sanitation Collaborative Council, 2013, http://www.sswm.info.
(5) Ibid.
(6) House, S., Mahon, T. and Cavill, S., ‘Menstrual hygiene matters: A resource for improving menstrual hygiene around the world’, WaterAid, 2012, http://www.wateraid.org.
(7) Ten, V.T.A., ‘Menstrual hygiene - A neglected condition for the achievement of several millennium development goals’, Europe External Policy Advisors, 2007, http://www.wsscc.org.
(8) Ibid.
(9) House, S., Mahon, T. and Cavill, S., ‘Menstrual hygiene matters: A resource for improving menstrual hygiene around the world’,WaterAid, 2012, http://www.wateraid.org.
(10) Muheebwa, H., ‘MakaPads helping disadvantaged girls and women in Uganda’, International Property Watch, 13 March 2014, http://www.ip-watch.org.
(11) Ibid.
(12) Ibid.
(13) ‘MakaPads’, Technology for Tomorrow Ltd, http://t4tafrica.co.
(14) Muheebwa, H., ‘MakaPads helping disadvantaged girls and women in Uganda’, International Property Watch, 13 March 2014, http://www.ip-watch.org.
(15) Ibid.
(16) ‘Affordable menstrual pads keep girls in school, create jobs’, Hopebuilding, 2008, http://hopebuilding.pbworks.com.
(17) Muheebwa, H., ‘MakaPads helping disadvantaged girls and women in Uganda’, International Property Watch, 13 March 2014, http://www.ip-watch.org.
(18) Nakweya, G., ‘Africa-piloted projects win top simple tech awards’, SciDevNet, 7 November 2013, http://www.scidev.net.
(19) ‘Uganda: Sanitary pad project changes refugees’ lives’, IRIN, 2010, http://www.irinnews.org.
(20) Ibid.
(21) George, R., ‘Celebrating womanhood: How better menstrual hygiene management is the path to better health, dignity and business’, Water Supply & Sanitation Collaborative Council, 2013, http://www.sswm.info.
(22) ‘MakaPads’, Technology for Tomorrow Ltd, http://t4tafrica.co.
(23) Muheebwa, H., ‘MakaPads helping disadvantaged girls and women in Uganda’, International Property Watch, 13 March 2014, http://www.ip-watch.org.
(24) Ibid.

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