Support 90 micro-entrepreneurs in Sierra Leone

For Munafa, supporting women entrepreneurs goes beyond providing loans and savings services. Health, access to information and social barriers can also have a direct impact on women’s daily lives and their ability to develop their activities.

This is particularly important for Munafa, as 92% of the people it supports are women. Today, the institution is therefore taking part in a new initiative to address an issue that is still too often surrounded by silence: menstrual health.

Creating spaces to talk openly

Since April 2025, Munafa has been involved in Miapé Dignité Menstruelle, a three-year project implemented by Entrepreneurs du Monde in Sierra Leone and Togo.

Before launching the activities, the teams carried out a study with groups of women to better understand their knowledge, practices and needs regarding menstruation. Based on these discussions, two training modules were developed and integrated into the support already provided by Munafa.

Alongside these training sessions, social workers facilitate “causeries”, small discussion spaces where participants can ask questions and talk openly about menstrual health. Men are also involved in some of the sessions, because reducing stigma around menstruation requires dialogue beyond women alone.

Across Sierra Leone and Togo, 27,346 people have already been reached through the two partner microfinance institutions, Munafa and Assilassimé Solidarité.

Supporting solutions made in Sierra Leone

Access to information is only one part of the challenge. Women and girls also need affordable and appropriate menstrual products.

In Sierra Leone, the Miapé team has therefore started working with GADNet, a local organisation dedicated to the rights and empowerment of girls and young women. The support focuses on strengthening the organisation and developing its activity around reusable menstrual products, including business planning, management, human resources and distribution.

This local partnership is an important step: the objective is not only to improve access to menstrual products, but also to support solutions that can be produced and developed locally.

More than financial inclusion

These activities complement Munafa’s existing work with micro-entrepreneurs. Through its seven branches, Munafa combines financial services with regular training and social support to respond to the different challenges beneficiaries face in their daily lives. Today, the institution has supported 18,970 entrepreneurs, and 98% of surveyed beneficiaries say their quality of life has improved.

The menstrual health sessions will continue until the end of 2026, alongside further awareness-raising and advocacy activities in Sierra Leone.

By creating spaces for discussion, sharing reliable information and supporting local solutions, Munafa is helping ensure that menstruation is no longer a barrier to women’s health, participation and economic autonomy.

Thank you for supporting Munafa and allowing its teams to provide women entrepreneurs with support that reflects the different realities of their lives.