PRIDEnoSHAME (an UZIMA Project) aims to set up a production of affordable, organic and 100% sustainable Sanitary Pads in the Mahama Refugee Camp, Rwanda. This project will have a direct impact on improving the lives of refugee women in Rwanda. Indeed, access to sanitary pads will not only enable them to limit absences from work, which greatly reduce their economic independence, but also, this simple gesture of hygiene will give these Rwandan women greater access to education.
Thousands of girls and women (over 60'000) live in Rwandan in refugee camps as a result of regional wars.When they menstruate, they do not have access to affordable sanitary pads, they often use a piece of cloth or other material they can find, and water is lacking; these unhygienic conditions cause vaginal infections, skin irritations and often embarrassing stains in public and stigmatizing situations. Beside, reportedly 18% of girls miss school regularly when they menstruate.
The aim of the project is to improve livelihoods of women and girls in and around the Mahama refugee camp in Rwanda. The specific goal of this project is to provide women and girls, an affordable solution to their hygienic needs when menstruating and to generate an income, by creating a sustainable production of sanitary pads by women for women.
a) Affordability: women with no means should be able to receive them free of charge; b) Environmentally sustainability: the pads will be made of organic, compostable and good quality material; c) Viability: the machines are of good quality, easy to operate and maintain. Women will earn an extra income. The machine when operating at full capacity, will generate a surplus which will be sold in/outside the camps.
This project has provided additional documentation in a PDF file (projdoc.pdf).
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