AfriPads to Ethiopia

AFRIpads Menstrual Kits are reusable sanitary pads designed to provide superior feminine hygiene protection and comfort. Founded by Paul and his wife Sophia -who I unexpectedly met while visiting the Headquarters in Kampala, Uganda. Great people with a drive and passion to helping girls and women in Africa. 

AFRIpads Menstrual Kits are made from high-performance textiles and provide effective protection for 12+ months (menstrual cycles), making them a cost-effective and eco-friendly solution.  The design is an “all-in-one” pad that buttons securely into a pair of underwear. After use, the pad folds conveniently for easy storage before washing.  AFRIpads are ultra-absorbent, natural and unscented.

In August the Co-Founder of Afrikafifty6 came to visit Ethiopia and we were able to give out some AfriPads at the school my cousin, Abdi teaches at (Afrikafifty6 is a non-profit that has been working with Afripads since 2015). Unfortunately with it being summer - school was not in secession - but we sat and talked with the principal and agreed we would be back in October with Pads for all the girls who were of age of menstruation cycle.

That count is around 400 girls! 

October has passed, but our desire to help those girls and keep our promise has not! 

Unable to afford or access proper menstrual products, many girls and women rely on crude, improvised materials like scraps of old clothing, pieces of foam mattress, toilet paper, leaves, and banana fibres to manage their menstruation – all of which are unhygienic, ineffective, and uncomfortable.  This is hardly what we would consider a “solution”.

Faced with frequent, embarrassing leaks and a susceptibility to recurrent infections, the impact is that millions of girls and women experience their monthly period  as something that prevents them from engaging in daily life – whether this is going to school or work, or carrying out their normal domestic responsibilities.



The critical unavailability of sanitary products in developing countries is a major barrier to education for girls of school-going age. The inability to effectively manage menstruation contributes to absences of up to 4-5 school days each month, equating to as much as 20% of the academic year intentionally skipped, simply due to menstruation. Eventually many of these girls drop out of school entirely, increasing their likelihood of teen pregnancy health complications and early marriage, and further limiting their future career and economic opportunities.

Most women in Africa have already battled the fight of getting an education over staying home and learning how to cook and clean at a young age. Something as natural as a period should not be another mountain they have to climb over to get a fair chance at expanding their knowledge through education. 

Please help me to extend this gift to these girls. The plan is to reach the goal by January 2019, and be able to gift the AFRIpads in February 2019. 

COST: $5.00 -Each package comes with 3 maxi pads, 1 super maxi pad (overnight and heavy bleeding) and a pouch. 

In addition to the pads, I would like to supply the girls with a package of underwear. While visiting an orphanage in Uganda, the minister of the orphanage told us that underwear is like a prize possession to the girls and that they usual fight over underwear, or they have 1 that they wash and re-use.  In America, its Calvin Klein or Victoria Secret, we have all kinds of prints and styles for weeks we could go with out repeating the same underwear.  Help in aiding a young woman today with a menstrual kit and a 5-pack of underwear! 



God Bless You & Thank you for your Donation in Advanced! 

-Blessings
Sara Gebremedhin