When Amen Divine Ikamba, started using KosmoPads a year ago, she realised that she was not only saving her money but also conserving the environment. A senior six student at College Sainte Marie Reine Kabgayi in the Northern Province, Ikamba says that before, especially at home, she would dispose of used pads but still see litter around. It’s different nowadays, as the reusable pads she now uses are a way to recycle, which means cutting down on the toxicity of waste, and contributing to climate change mitigation actions, which wasn’t the case before when she used to contaminate the environment with waste and also toxic gas from burning single-use pads. “These homemade pads are cheap compared to others. For instance, in six months, I spend only Rwf 12,000 yet I can use them for a period of two years, unlike when I would spend about Rwf 20,000 in six months and only use that for that particular period,” she says. Ikamba says she used to feel like she was overburdening her parents as she had to ask them every month for money for sanitary pads. Benitha Irumva Kezakase, another beneficiary from Kabutare TVET School, says normally, she has light periods which neither bring her abdominal pain nor backache. Before, her only issue was getting serious burns while using single-use pads, which used to leave her with itchy, swollen and burnt skin at the end of every period. “This changed after I shifted to KosmoPads, as they are comfortable and make you feel free without any side effects whatsoever. As a student, these reusable pads also help me save money thus easier to handle other personal financial issues,” she says. During the launch of KosmoPads in partnership with the King Baudouin Foundation in Kigali last week, beneficiaries shared their menstrual challenges, and a project is in the pipeline to employ 100 young women and girls, who will also discuss their challenges about menstruation, and learn how to make their own pads and make them available to each underprivileged girl in Rwanda by 2023. “As girls break the silence about menstruation and benefit financially from making and selling pads, they will come to see their period as a source of pride and power,” says Blandine Umuziranenge, the founder of KosmoPads. Silas Ngayaboshya, the director general for Gender Promotion and Women Empowerment at the Ministry of Gender and Family Promotion, says home-grown solutions are to be relied on, however, it also needs to be supplemented by raising awareness. He says that it is not only about pricing/affordability but also access and use, adding that parents should also be aware that availing the pads for their daughters should be seen as a health and human rights issue instead of just seeing it as a burden. “As the Ministry, we should work with both government, CSOs and PSF to make this a priority and see this as affecting not only girls and women, but all of us, seeing this as a societal issue,” he adds. Ngayaboshya notes that the Government of Rwanda is keen to see this issue resolved and measures at central level have been in place, like exempting taxes on pads. This, however, did not solve the problem of affordability because raw materials’ prices are fluctuating. More about homemade pads Umuziranenge started Kosmotive in 2014, making the final product in 2019 which they’ve been selling. The employment ratio at the moment is 85:15 (women: men), making the pads accessible to underprivileged girls who used to miss school during their period. More than 20 jobs have been created through this initiative, which produces 5,000 pieces per day, and distributes kits to 11 districts in Rwanda so far. “Our aim is paving menstrual freedom for girls and women in Africa. We also dream that no girl should miss school and no woman should miss out on life due to menstrual shame or lack of menstrual hygiene products,” Umuziranenge says.
