In many rural regions of Africa where basic amenities are few and far between, menstruation is a big problem. It presents serious challenges for young women who are unable to go to school, perform routine tasks or access sanitary essentials, such as sanitary pads.
Growing awareness around this issue has manifested in initiatives like Flo and Transformation Textiles. These initiatives create menstrual cycle kits and educate communities on how to manage menstruation. Brooklyn-based Be Girl is the latest social enterprise geared toward finding a solution to this issue.
Committed to empowering young women to take ownership of their cycles and overcome the gender divide, Be Girl has developed two products and a sponsorship programme. PeroidPanty and FlexiPad are durable, washable, waterproof and flexible sanitary pad and underwear systems created for repeated use.
A disposable or reusable material such as cloth, wool or toilet paper can be used as an absorbent material to fill the products’ in-built pouch. Both the underwear and the pad have been designed with leak-proof nylon layer and stain-free material, which takes less than 60 minutes to dry indoors.
Be Girl’s sponsorship programme, EmpowerBank is set up to supply menstrual management products to girls in need.
